


Suppressed Memories

by DarkAlchemistNinja, Kinoink



Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: Alternate Universe, BDSM, Death Gods, Demons, Depression, Explicit Sexual Content, Fluff and Angst, Harem, Homosexuality, Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M, Medical Procedures, Shi No Toge, Shinigami, Thorns of Death, brothel, tags added as needed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-07
Updated: 2016-11-17
Packaged: 2018-06-06 23:14:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 21
Words: 39,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6774166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkAlchemistNinja/pseuds/DarkAlchemistNinja, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kinoink/pseuds/Kinoink
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A Shinigami is created when a human commits suicide. They are forced to pay penance for such a sin by reaping the souls of others.</p><p>And so;</p><p>We bring you to The Libraries of the Death Gods, where the Shinigami base their work. The Dispatch Society; The job is a thankless one, reaping souls and tearing apart mortal families... but what of the Shinigami themselves? What feelings to they have? What struggles do they face? </p><p>This story is a wonderful AU where those who mourned Alan and Eric will see them as they wished they could, happy and still among the 'living.' But the focus, my friends, is on a young Reaper with white shoes named Ronald Knox, and the object of his affections, William T. Spears. </p><p>Will he be rejected when he bares his heart open to him? </p><p>And of course what story would be good without a few twists? Harems, Curses and possibly Angelic ties await when you discover your Suppressed Memories.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Rejection

**Author's Note:**

> I know i should be working on shit I've already started, but this beautiful piece of work that I've been doing lately deserves to be posted. I hope you like it.
> 
> Also I understand that the first chapter is a tad short. chapters will become longer as things go on.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ronald bares his heart to William... what will the elder Shinigami do?

It was just after 3 AM in the Libraries. The light flicked on in the offices as Ronald trudged in, looking for all the world as if he'd just had the shit kicked out of him. His pristine white shoes were scuffed, his hair askew, his tie completely gone... no... wait... it was tied tightly around his left wrist. His Death Scythe was nowhere to be seen at all. 

His belt was gone, his pants ripped and his white shirt stained in various places. His blazer seemed unharmed, but then again, he was carrying that over his shoulder. His glasses seemed bent in an unsightly way. He saw the light on under William's door and cussed under his breath. He'd just stopped by to drop off his last... very late... report of the evening and had hoped William would be gone. 

He should have known, really. He tried to slip it in the 'out' tray on his desk and get out of there before William knew he was there, but he tripped on the trailing portion of his ripped pants and slammed into Alan's perfectly arranged desk, cussing loudly before he could stop himself. "SHIT!"

William had been working overtime, it was a usual with a job like today. Reapers that had already finished their jobs had already gone home for the night to rest with the reports all filed. He was only taking final count of the ones he had collected so far, but something was slightly off. 

Ronald's reports were nowhere. "Hm..." his shadow started to cross the light at the bottom of his door before the loud crashing made him open it. "Ronald Knox. I should have known." he spoke in a dull almost exasperated tone in his voice as light flooded the office.

Ronald jolted, trying to get the leg of the desk off his foot. tonight was not his night. "oh gee, spare me your concern, Will." he muttered sarcastically, his voice strained and his face contorted with pain. "Listen, I can't feel my left hand and this desk is heavy and is now on my foot. A little help?" he said louder, looking at him. He did look pretty pathetic, all things told. "And now Alan is going to kill me for throwing his desk into chaos." 

there was a small click of his tongue and sighed walking over to help pull the desk up from Ronald's foot. "You know you're usually messy by normal standards." he started for a moment then sighed. "But honestly, what in the hell happened to you?" he questioned his voice still in that mellowed mono as he started to gather things up from the fallen desk and put them back in the proper order.

Ronald sighed and attacked the tie tied around his wrist trying in vain to un-knot it. "It's nothing." he said quietly, flexing his foot to make sure nothing was broken as he fiddled with the tie. It was obvious he didn't want to talk about it. "Just got my ass kicked by a customer." 

The words were out of his mouth before he knew it and he stopped dead. Shit.... he didn't want William to know about his second job on the side. Mostly because it'd probably piss the guy off, but hey, what else was Ronald supposed to do when the only person he gave a damn about was oblivious to his affections? 

"Customer?" William rose an eyebrow at him. "What have you been doing Ronald?" he sighed as he sorted a stack of papers and pinched his lips together in a thin line. He thought hard over what he wanted to say. "Lately I've been noticing you've been coming back late on odd nights, and often falling asleep on your desk. Is this the reason why?" he pointed to the tie knotted around the two toned reaper's wrist before setting the papers down reaching over and with one hard pull, he tore it off. The office could supply him a new one, for the moment he would appreciate answers.

Ronald stifled a growl. He SO did not need to be interrogated at that moment, but he knew William would keep him there till he got what he wanted. He could feel the bottled up frustration beginning to boil and retorted without thinking. 

"What do you give a shit as long as I get my job around here done?" he snapped. "You've never cared before, why start now?" He regretted it instantly but he was frustrated, and now he was on a roll. "I bend over backwards to try and please you and get you to notice me, i take your shifts when you get sick, i force you to go to bed at a decent time, but it's when i begin to tire and shirk JUST A LITTLE BIT that you actually fucking notice me!" 

William reached up and adjusted his glasses slightly ever so delicately like the probably slight arrogant bastard he was. It wasn't until Ronald started exploding did he for once ever be taken aback. His subordinates never talked back, they never shouted, they never became this angry, except with over time. Why him? "Oi." he tried to speak up but his voice was drowned out by the others' tirade. It wasn't like Will to loose his cool either. "Enough!" he finally rose his voice.

Ronald was going to say more but the tone of William's voice shut him up. He just glared at him, biting his lip to keep from crying. He realized he'd avoided answering any questions by getting mad, and a wave of guilt at exploding at his superior shot through him, he looked to his feet. Dirty shoes suited him... he'd soiled his name twice tonight. He didn't speak, just waited for William to go off on him. Not that he wouldn't deserve it. 

The superior stared at him for a moment longer then with a sigh he placed the papers onto Alan's desk neatly. He straightened his own self up for a moment then he reached down and grabbed Ronald by the elbow, pulling him onto his feet. Not to punish or scold, not at the moment, but instead he pulled him out of the office and the library entirely even if the light was on. Paying no mind if the other reaper protested.

Ronald was startled as he was suddenly dragged along. "Will! you didn't lock up... the lights are on- where are you taking me?!" he protested, though the protests were mild. He was really in too bad of shape to struggle too much and just ended up letting him drag him along. He could feel blood drying on his back from the cuts there and as the cuts shifted with his moving a few of them opened up again. _damn I'm a mess..._ he thought to himself. 

The other man didn't say anything until they turned off at a corner. Reapers had their own section of housing, especially after a hard amount of work or a long list that just got done. It was for privacy, for resting, and letting them do their own activities as they saw fit. He opened the door and yanked the blonde inside, shut the door behind him and went down a hallway only to stop at a door and looked at the other who looked a bit shaken up. "Get cleaned up." he ordered with a deadly sound of calm in his voice. He'd go back and lock up the library soon.

Ronald sighed and went into the bathroom. Tearing off what was left of his shirt he looked in the mirror. cuts everywhere. the ones on his back equally bad as the ones on the front. He opened the door. "Will-" he called, his voice catching. "I think I'm gonna need some help, can you... bring the first aid kit..." he said. His voice was now trembling. He stripped down to his boxers showing bruises everywhere. 

He was afraid to look at his ass. He knew it probably had welts and more bruising. He glanced at his face. split lip, the beginnings of a black eye. that bitch had really worked him over. He sighed and leaned over the sink, tears starting to fall. He'd broken a rule at the BDSM Harem he sided at. Never let a customer have complete control... he'd been feeling down and had stupidly allowed the woman to tie him up... she proceeded to beat the hell out of him till he'd passed out. 

There was a moment of silence before a small clattering of items being shuffled around. It wasn't often that a reaper needed to have first aid done on them, it was mostly Grell after that demon of a butler had kicked the crap out of him several times over. Walking over carrying the wooden box he paused only briefly to eye the bruising and scraps. "...Honestly..." he muttered before pouring a little bit of an antiseptic on a wad of cotton, reaching to Ronald's chin and turning him in his direction to treat the split lip. 

"Is the real reason why you went out and had this done to you really because of me?" he finally asked. Truth be told, it was really unnerving to see the usually cheerful reaper in such a state of...would it be depression? Pain? He couldn't place the word on it.

Ronald was silent for a long moment, enduring the treatment with only an occasional wince, but no whimpers. He watched William. Finally; "would you prefer the short or the long answer." He shifted. The whole truth would come out eventually, but at the moment he didn't know what William wanted to hear. He winced a bit in pain. "i think a few on my back need stitches..." he added quietly, his tone subdued. 

"I suppose while we're here you may as well give me the long version. I'll tell Alan not to freak out when he sees the light on and the library not locked up." Alan would be due for a morning shift sometime soon and that he knew. He soon moved his treatment of disinfectant to Ronald's back, better to clean them first before thinking about adding stitches. The bloody cotton wads started to pile up slowly in the garbage.

Wincing occasionally Ronald nodded. "alright then... when i first joined the libraries... i didn't' care much for the job... it was boring and tedious... but then i saw you, and how fast and efficient you were, how ..... handsome you were... and how much you loved what you do.... Grell told me it was useless, and you were married to the libraries and would never glance at me... but i didn't believe him at first. So I worked my ass of to get close to you, to earn your trust... to make it so you would listen to me when i spoke.... I helped you get better whenever you got sick, went out of my way to make sure you went to bed at a decent hour by filing your overtime paperwork occasionally for you when you were clearly tired and falling asleep at your desk..." a pause to take a breath.

"I loved you with my actions, always hoping you'd figure it out... but when you never did... i started getting frustrated... i needed an outlet, and one of my marks was at this BDSM Harem place, the boss lady said i was pretty and since I'd just taken one of her best employees, i could fill in if i had desire to... so i figured why not? few extra bucks in my pocket... I've done things I'm ashamed of... but i was so down about you i didn't care... I'm sorry i exploded on you like that. Whether I'm in love with you or not you're still my superior and i had no right to yell." he stopped there, expecting scorn, a brushoff... something inherently 'William' of a reaction. 

Silent during the explanation William had started to work with the stitches. Hey the man was nothing if not efficient with the fact he could at least do some form of medical task. His black gloved fingers only twitched once or twice during the entire story. 

Grell was mostly right about the married to the libraries line, and perhaps he felt bad for once that Ronald had been trying so hard over and over only to get rejected and feel neglected. "I see." he spoke when it was all over. "...Ronald, as your superior I'm ordering you to no longer do this. However, as William, I ask you understand that I have had no need for relations, and if you are wanting to court me, you should have been more blunt."

He glanced at him. "William... I'll only quit the harem job if.... if you'll agree to at least one date with me." the words came out in a rush and his cheeks reddened a bit. he bit his lip. "But you can't... you can't just order me to quit a job... you're my boss in the Libraries, but at the end of the day you don't' control what i do when i leave the Libraries." yes he was going to be stubborn despite the fact that he'd been literally beaten senseless at that other job earlier that day. 

Eyeing Ronald with one sharp green eye the dark haired man pulled rather hard on one of the stitches to get his point across for a split second before he tied a knot and snipped off the last thread. "You're a stubborn idiot. Not like Grell, mind you, but you are stubborn." he paused for a moment. "Very well." he finally agreed. "I will go on one date. However, you must hold your end of it. And take a few days off. You're not going on duty with bruises and scrapes like that, one might think the damned demon butler beat the living hell out of you."

He winced. "I'm not an idiot, Will. But i am stubborn." he said, turning to him. "i only got hurt because i broke a rule. That won't happen again. But I will take a few days off." he reached out and snagged William's hand, catching his gaze. "Don't tell me you haven't even once thought of it... briefly noticed it and forgot..." his eyes were pleading. "I don't' want any sort of date if it's just out of pity, or to get me to quit the harem job." his voice was firm. "If there's no chance in hell that it'll work. tell me now. and I'll save myself the heartache." 

William looked almost shocked when the blond had taken hold of his hand, it was rare that reapers could show such emotion, granted Grell was one thing, literally one thing and it was another thing for someone who worked for long enough to understand when to be stoic and when to be emotional, though it seemed William knew nothing. Though something did itch at the back of his mind, odd fuzzy memories of a blob of color helping to put him back to bed and indeed times that he had suddenly woken up to find his work done. "That was really you?"

He nodded. "Every time." he said softly, his expression changing. "Will... you're so focused on your work... you don't notice anything. Do you even know that Eric and Alan are sleeping together? Did you not see the pain on Eric's face whenever Alan had an attack? The futile reassurance from Alan to try and ease his loves' pain even as he endured his own, knowing that their love was doomed? are you that blind? William.... You're the only one of us.... who doesn't know what love is. Our job is not to feel... when we're working... so when we're not working... we make sure that we do feel, or we forget what it was to ever have been human." 

William pulled his hand away and looked frustrated. He wasn't angry, even with the flicker of flames behind his green eyes. He was just frustrated, his lips had pinched into a very thin line, even his eyebrow gave a little bit of a twitch. "We -were- human Ronald. But we threw it all away, we were all numb to the human world the moment you put either the gun to your head or the knife to your bloody wrist. Punished for a long life time to watch as others experience the joys life can truly offer. I do not have that pleasure anymore Ronald Knox, I had it once, I refuse to open myself up to it ever again." there was a sense of hidden passion, pain, deep in the cold man's throat, leather gloves squeaked as fists clenched. "I would prefer to be punished with pain than suffer a loss, or fear of one again."

Ronald stared at him. "then my love is for nothing..." he said quietly. "... for i can do nothing to melt an unwilling icy heart. I love you William... but if you cannot let yourself see or feel that... then perhaps I will just go be the plaything of others and simply do my job in the Libraries till my time has been served." he slowly got up and walked past him, leaving the room, going down the hall to grab a pair of spare pants, and heading for the door of the libraries, his heart having dropped down to the pit of his stomach. 

William watched as Ronald left, slowly picking up the supplies to put them away in the kit. Lightly his fists clenched up a little before he packed it away in its cupboard. The door was still open as the younger man had gone a frown pulled at the corners of his lips. "...I'm sorry, even if you don't forgive me." he sighed before shutting the door and going right to his office soon after. This was his own punishment, no...it was cowardice a part of him he never wished to show anyone. For now he went back to burying himself back into his work. Surely the blond couldn't hold a grudge could he?

there was a note on William's desk.  
_William;_  
_you are so jaded it makes me sick to my stomach. Yes we denied humanity once, but that doesn't give us the excuse to not have feelings, to not want or desire the company of another. give my lists to Eric, he'll pass them to me. I can't look at you anymore without wanting to cry, i can barely think about you. I'll be staying at the Harem where i'm working from, or my Shinigami apartment. Eric will deliver my paperwork to you. If you ever change your mind, come find me. Otherwise if you try to find me, I'll run. I'll hide, and i will refuse you. goodbye._  
_\- Ronald._  
the paper was stained with tears. 

Ronald was on his bed, crying more of them, part of them from the pain of his injuries and partially crying due to a broken heart.


	2. Misery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> William realizes he's made a terrible mistake... Can he fix it?

Perturbed how the letter was setting on the desk by the time he had returned was slightly beyond him. His lips had formed that thin line again, that frown returning over the straight face. He probably was jaded, but it was by choice. For now, he had decided to abide by the letter, sending the paperwork and lists with Eric and on a few occasions Alan. The three of them were rather close. But as time slipped through something started to feel off the place had become quiet, too quiet. 

The mornings didn't feel bright, not even Grell had a lot of energy sometimes. Will sighed as he closed his eyes, reaching out once the bell had gone off to signal the end of the day, he had clocked out. It was odd without the blond one clinging to him and talking about parties, going back and forth on the wheeled chairs, or just in all his slightly care-free attitude. A part of him was hurting as his breath caught like he was grasped with iron bands that tightened per movement slowly cutting away at his oxygen. 

To be fair he was having some odd moments, perhaps due to lack of sleep. He found the little things that Ronald did do almost like an illusion, like it was true, but the moment he spoke it was gone. This place wasn't the same anymore. Without a second thought or a goodbye he had left before anyone else could finish filing away their papers for the evening, not even Alan. 

His jaw was set firmly, he knew where the seedy part of the Shinigami world was, and he was going to drag Ronald out of it kicking, screaming, protesting, or otherwise, if it killed him again.

Surprisingly Ronald was not at the harem, the woman who ran it told William she hadn't seen him in days, not since she found him on the floor out cold. 

which meant one thing. Ronald was doing his duty as a Reaper, but that was it. The rest of the time he was locked in his apartment, letting his wounds heal, but bitterness was creeping into him. He was curled up on his bed just staring at the wall. 

he'd go back to the Harem house once he was healed enough, sure, but it wouldn't fill the emptiness in his heart. He felt like a hollow shell

"Yes...thank you." William had bowed to the boss of the house, a polite gesture and even passed over his business card in case Ronald did end up showing if he couldn't find him at the apartment. He would at least check. 

The Shinigami apartments were small, usually one bedroom flats, always used to heal after a long day of work. Darkness had started to take over the world of the reapers now when he had gotten to what he knew was Ronald's apartment. 

He raised a polite way to knock, but no...that would make it seem like he wouldn't care, but frustration, a bubbling anger filled him up more than the bastard Sebastian. He raised a fist up and pounded on the door hard. "Ronald, open up the door!" he called, loud enough for him to hear.

silence for a while, then a soft dull voice sounding very unlike Ronald was heard faintly through it. "it's open." The blonde didn't' bother to move, remaining curled on his bed. the one room apartment was a mess. 

Ronald had clearly not even bothered to clean his wounds, and it showed on the bandages where a few had become infected. there were no dirty dishes; so either Alan had cleaned up or Ronald was refusing to eat. based on his state, it was probably safe to assume the latter. 

The moment he stepped into the apartment he stared around for a moment, he'd expect it to be slightly dirty, but not this bad. It stank of dry blood and probably body odor as if Ronald really hadn't taken care of himself. And that struck yet another chord in him. 

He had known this man better, thought, believed he could be better than this. He sighed and turned on his heel and went to search through some cupboards near the washroom, finding the medical kit that was always was provided. 

He went over to the bed and yanked whatever covering Ronald used to try and hide himself away, before sitting on the edge of the bed and peeled away the old bandages to clean up deep cuts so they would at least heal overtime even if it were slower now.

Ronald didn't move, didn't speak, didn't make a sound, till he started to fix him up. "why are you bothering?" he said dully. "It doesn't matter what happens to me... the only point of living is to do my job, isn't that what you said?" He didn't pull away, but he was tempted to. "So I'm doing my job. why are you here?" All of this was said in a pretty much monotone voice. 

A pregnant pause ticked by for a moment as the dark haired man was finishing adding disinfectant to the wounds and placed on some fresh bandages. Reaching down, William had pulled the blond up a little, but that voice he carried with him, it made him finally snap and a hand came down and struck Ronald right across the face. "Don't decide things for yourself, brat." he growled, nearly snarled. He was pissed.

Surprisingly not even that phased him. He settled onto the bed sitting up and staring at William, no emotion aside from sadness visible on his face. "why are you so mad? I'm just doing what you said. I'm not human... right? so trying to act like one is pointless.... i only exist to kill them. I don't deserve to feel. To love... isn't that what you told me, Will?" 

He gazed down at his hands, ignoring the stinging in his cheek. "and what decisions exactly am i making? I'm choosing to do nothing but my job. Like you." 

"You broke him, William." said a soft but respectful voice from the doorway. Alan stood there, holding Ronald's assignments for the next day. "I'm not sure what you did, or what you said... but ever since he got hurt... he's been like this." 

"Alan..." he muttered and sighed, now he looked embarrassed now that he had lost his temper, his cool in front of the brunet. He sat there on the edge of the bed, staring at the hollow shell that had once been a bright cheerful face. "...It is not Ronald who isn't human, it isn't the rest of the dispatch society, it is only me. I am not human..." he sighed slowly letting go of the other before he could cause more damage. 

"...You would be right Alan, this is my fault. And you were hiding this information, you and Eric, even though you knew it was I who was to blame." He closed his eyes and sighed as he got off the bed, pinching the bridge of his nose. 

"I can't say sorry, expecting someone to automatically forgive for my sins, but the truth, I'm nothing but a god forsaken coward. I lost someone I loved to an affair, I grew numb to the world before I cast myself into the shackles of being a Shinigami. I am a coward because I refuse to let anyone in, jaded...as you Ronald wrote. It's all true..." he sighed and absently reached up to rub something off the corner of his eye. 

Sliding a hand into his coat pocket he pulled out a box and set it on one of the surfaces. "I am nothing more than a joke, I'm the real hollowed shell..."

Alan set the papers on the counter. "I've been trying to get him to eat... to do something... but he just lays there... he tried to bite me when i attempted to clean his wounds... William, only you can help. only you can mend him... you're not the shell you think you are, Will.... Eric and I... We knew that you had to make your own decision to come to him... us saying something would have only made it worse." He nodded to Ronald. "Fix it." he said, and left, shutting the door. 

Ronald gazed at the box William had put down. "what's that?" he asked. 

He sighed once the rather knowledgeable brunet had gone, he listened to the door click shut. He was a bit surprised to know that Ronald had asked him a rather straight forward question about the box he had put down. 

Taking a breath he picked up the box and moved over to hold it out to him. "...I...ordered you a new pair because your old ones were pretty smashed up." he muttered meaning the glasses. "I know you have a certain style you like them in..."

He took the box and opened it. He peeked at them and then closed the box, setting it aside. "why?" he didn't put them on, didn't even touch them. "what's the point?" He leaned against the wall, wincing slightly as his wounds began to throb, but he was past caring. 

He didn't dare let the gesture mean anything to him... it probably meant nothing to Will either. He finally raised his gaze up and looked William in the eye. His green eyes were shocking, empty, hollow, devoid of any emotion. Ronald was completely apathetic. A far cry from those orbs that sparked in the light and danced when he smiled. 

He felt crestfallen then when the gesture was not received the way he had hoped. He had thought it had been a step in the right direction. He swallowed hard. "...Because you have done a lot for me. And I do not just mean work...not really, but those times you did take care of me and watched after my well being. I was trying to show you I care too, but I fucked up Ron. I screwed up really bad."

A flicker of... something... crossed Ronald's features at the words. He was silent for a few moments. ".... go on..." there was a touch of possible emotion in the words, and his eyes drifted to the box for a moment. He didn't move. If he was honest he didn't' have the energy to move. Too much pain and not enough food in his system. He was dehydrated and quite obviously needed a shower or something. 

"Even if you don't forgive me, I am sorry." he muttered softly. Then he walked out for a moment to the kitchen finding a glass to fill it with some water. Then he came back and held out the glass to the blond a little. "Here, have a few drinks of water and try to get some sleep. I'm not going into work tomorrow."

A pause, a look of genuine incredulous shock appeared on Ronald's face as he heard those words. "you... William T. Spears.... are not going to work tomorrow?" he said in disbelief. at last! Emotion! "are you ill or something?" He reached out and took the water in a trembling hand, and sipped at it. His voice didn't stay full of expression for too long, but it had been hope. 

could he dare to think that the reason was him? That thought filled him with more emotion... conflicting ones... If he was important enough to make Will miss work... what did it mean? 

"I haven't gotten a lot of sleep recently." Will sighed. "The place hasn't been exhausting me like it used to, it's dull, quiet, not even Grell acts normal anymore. So...due to the fact that I was never worn out, I worked overtime the past few days. And...I went all the way to that bloody harem of yours to find you." he muttered as he walked around the room and started to gather up the dirty clothes that were lying on the floor.

Ronald stared at him, his expression unreadable, but there was something in his eyes, besides the fact that they were getting wider the more William ranted. "If you're trying to say something, William... just spit it out." he finally interrupted, his voice less dull and more pained and tired. He hadn't slept either, sure he'd tried... but only ended up staring into nothingness till the morning bell tolled. 

William looked at him for a moment before he set the stack of fabric down to a spot. He walked over and pressed Ronald to his mattress gently. "I'll make you a deal, if you get some sleep, I'll tell you at the morning bell." he cleared his throat. "I'll be around." he muttered softly looking a little bit embarrassed. "You're tired, and need rest."

He winced and sighed, too tired to argue, too weak to resist. "alright." he said, holding the empty glass out for William to take from him. He closed his eyes, somehow falling asleep for the first time in at least a week. He looked frail and damaged laying there, though his breathing was even. throughout the night he'd occasionally let out a soft moan of pain and shift his position, though he didn't really roll around or anything. he clutched at his blanket as if he were lonely... which lets face it he probably was, and looked exactly how Alan had described him earlier... broken. 

Resting a hand on his him slightly he pulled the blanket closer to Ronald so he would be more comfortable, even warm. He even found a good clean one to place on top of it. After a while he started going around the whole flat, gathering clothes and whatever else was on the floor, placing trash in rubbish bins, and clothes to get them washed and dried. 

The hours started to tick by sluggishly and it wasn't until after midnight did the final amount of clothing get done drying, he had folded it up and put them away. He picked up the broken glasses that were sitting on the nightstand, and put the new ones on there in their place, lightly petting the blond head a little before he went over to a chair in the living room, sitting in it, letting his eyes close slowly, forgetting to take his glasses off, he had started to doze off.


	3. Two Steps Forward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Does William care more than he lets on?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one is a tad short... I'm packing to leave for a week.

Soon enough the bells were tolling for morning, and Ronald began to stir. Reaching for his glasses he found the new ones and was momentarily confused. Events from the night before rushed into his mind and he bolted upright, a loud cry of pain tearing from him as his wounds pulled against the newly healing skin and tore a bit. He bit his lip and looked around. He slowly got up, and using the wall to help him; since he was so weak from lack of food to really balance himself, made his way to the living room. 

he heard light snoring and peered around the corner. He saw Will dead asleep in a chair and leaned heavily against the wall. He'd half-thought it'd been a dream... but no. there he was. He made his way shakily halfway across the room and lay himself down on the loveseat that was about five feet away from where William was sleeping. He just watched him. He wanted to know what the other had to say... but he didn't dare wake him up. 

He was breathing slowly and deeply like he used to when Ronald would find him in his office either out like a light or almost there. He had stayed up late, and the apartment was practically spotless except for the bed sheets in his bedroom. He twitched a little bit, at first he didn't hear the morning bells, but the sunlight that was uncannily bright come through the window was in his face and slowly he opened his eyes then blinked a little when he saw the younger man on the couch. "...You're up...?" he muttered softly.

"Looks like." came the soft, uncertain response from the younger reaper. The voice wasn't nearly as dull as it had been, but it wasn't exactly energetic either. He was cautious, with good reason, but obviously there was a daring bit of hope in Ronald that wouldn't let him completely give up. Perhaps it had been the actual gift of the glasses. He honestly didn't know... but he didn't feel as empty as he had the night before. 

"That's good." he sighed as he slowly got up from the chair and groaned softly resting a hand on the crook of his neck, he had obviously slept so funny that his neck got a kink in it and his dark hair was slightly untidy. Though his glasses weren't too askew. "Listen...about what I told you that night...honestly, I didn't mean any of it."

Ronald sat up and looked at him. "I think you did." he said quietly. "but not for the reasons you're apologizing for. And not for the reasons that sent me into crippling depression." He was trembling, but he paused and waited for him to continue, the only part of him not moving involuntarily at that moment was his eyes. They seemed to peer deep into Will's soul. 

"...If I did, it was meant to protect what all I have left..." he sighed. "...Never imagined the day that you would come to like someone as thick headed and oblivious as myself. I panicked." he sighed and closed his eyes. "Believing the reason I became a reaper in the first place would come back." he paused a little to rub his neck slightly. "...I'm a selfish pig Ron. I only want ours and everyone else's happiness."

He regarded him with a confused look. "..... what are you saying, William?" he said softly. It was clear the other was trying to say something without just outright spitting it out. For some stupid reason his heart started to beat a bit faster, watching him fidget. It was impossible that William had feelings for him after all he'd said... the damage he'd caused... wasn't it?

He took a breath as he ran his fingers through his hair, the neat spots getting messy and slightly disheveled as he tried to word it properly, he was nervous. 

"....What I'm trying to say Ron....is that I miss having you around, more than I thought I would. The time you weren't in the libraries, I kept seeing the little gestures you did for me, whether it was coffee or even filing my reports at night. I missed it...I miss having you around. But now because of me I've destroyed the part that makes you yourself...and that's something I can't forgive myself for." he looked frustrated again, but not in an angry sense. He was just confused and trying to convey without being a textbook cliche.

as William spoke a small surge of energy came from somewhere and Ronald got up, walked calmly over to William, grabbed him by the tie, pulled him in and Kissed him, shutting him up. "You care." was all he said, letting him go and standing in front of him, not noticing that he was swaying on his feet, but for the moment keeping his balance. 

He sighed softly the kiss was a surprise for certain but then once he had pulled away and muttered those two words, it made him swallow hard. "...Yes, I do care. I care honestly more than I let on." he muttered. "...It's why I never said anything about Alan and Eric's relationship. It was their business not mine..." reaching over he lightly held Ronald still before setting him down on the couch. "You on the other hand need to relax...there should be something around here that's edible..."

"Alan made food for me... I just wasn't ever hungry." he said softly, allowing him to settle him on the couch. "It should still be good, it was just a couple days ago. It's in the fridge." He was curious how much Will cared, but he would be cautious... that and he was ragingly hungry at last, and was beginning to feel ashamed of himself for how far he'd allowed himself to fall. 

Going over to the fridge he opened it and pulled out a covered dish and sniffed it. It still smelled good. Alan was a man with good taste, especially with food. He picked up the dish and set the pot over the stove in order to heat it up. It didn't take long for it to heat up, he put some in a dish and walked over and held it out to Ron to have. "Eat."

He took the plate, a small flash of a smile working it's way across his face at last. It was just rice and chicken, but after over a week of not eating, it tasted like something exotic. he forced himself to eat slowly, no point in eating if he was just going to throw it up by eating too fast on a stomach that hadn't had food in such a long time. 

The food was still gone quickly and he set aside his plate, feeling a bit better. "William." he said quietly. "you said you care more than i know... how much do you care. If you tell me, I'll go take a shower." yes. it was blackmail, but he sort of deserved an answer at this point regardless, and lets face it, he needed to bathe. 

Sitting back in the chair he looked at him watching him eat slowly. He was glad he was eating. Though then it came to the point of blackmail. "And if I don't tell you you're not going to bathe even though you need one?" he rolled his bright green eyes for a moment then sighed. 

"I care to the point I don't want to cause anyone pain. This excludes Grell of course, but...that's because it's fun. But anyone else in the dispatch, I didn't want to hurt, not in the physical or...as I've done last night, the emotional sense."

Ronald shook his head. "that's not what i meant and you damn well know it." he said quietly, his gaze calculating. "How much do you care... about _me_." he said slowly and deliberately. He was starting to get a bit of his fire back, and on this point he'd be fucking stubborn. he was going to get what he wanted out of William even if he had to wait to bathe for anther two days. 

Groaning softly he closed his his eyes for a moment and took a few breaths to collect his thoughts. "For the love of whatever god we actually do have left..." he trailed off for a moment then looked at Ron in the eyes. "I cared enough to be honest about the fact I would try going on that date."

He looked him deep in the eye. What he saw there seemed to transform Ronald a bit, and he drew himself up and seemed to relax a little. "I'll order takeout then." he said firmly, getting up without a single tremor, grabbing his plate and walking to the kitchen. He stuck it in the sink and disappeared into his bathroom. 

A few moments later water was running, and a moment after that was quite a lot of loud swearing as the hot water hit his healing wounds. 

He looked over to where the bathroom was and rolled his eyes a little before standing up. "That's what happens when you leave wounds open to get infected!" he called over to him before he tracked to the bedroom, he decided to take the advantage to clean the sheets so Ron could have a cleaner place to sleep the next night. "Takeout...?" he muttered to himself.


	4. Tenative Step Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Perhaps there is hope for them yet.

In shorter time than one would probably expect, most likely due to the fact that it was FUCKING PAINFUL, Ronald was out of the shower and appeared in the bathroom door with a cloud of steam like some ethereal being of myth with a towel around his waist and one hand holding another to dry his hair. 

"Hey William." he asked calmly, walking over to the other and letting the towel drop; he wasn't wearing a damn thing under it. "can you please re-bandage me?" he asked politely, trying desperately not to let the wicked grin that seemed to want to plaster itself over his face actually appear. 

He managed to control himself and actually was able to make himself look a bit shy as he fidgeted cutely in the hallway. ".... i can't reach the ones in the back." he said innocently. 

William was just finishing putting up the sheets to dry and paused when he noticed that Ronald had come out of the bathroom and his face almost touched a beet red a little bit. He wasn't expecting the towel to drop. 

Then he cleared his throat and adjusted his glasses slightly. "Of course, I'll help you reapply your bandages." he muttered going to find the kit he had used last night and had taken part of the towel to dry off his back a little so he could start wrapping the white strips around his back and middle.

"so what do you want for dinner?" asked Ronald casually. "Alan said he's willing to pick up anything i want." He winced in pain and shifted so William could reach better. That blush had been almost worth it, but he'd hoped for a less controlled reaction. 

He could try again later to disarm the guy, but for the moment he gave up and focused on what Will had already said yes to. The date. He wasn't well enough to leave yet, but he wasn't going to just let William walk out the door and leave. He'd lock him IN if he had to at this point. 

He concentrated on his job at hand, he was glad that at least Ronald was getting better for the most part. "I'm not sure, I never really had anyone pick up anything I needed for dinner." he spoke as he finished tying off the bandaging and fixed his glasses, allowing his fingers to brush through his hair for a moment to smooth it out. Amazing how disheveled a proper man could spring back so fast. "Better?"

Ronald turned, went into his room and grabbed some shorts. He pulled them on and stretched a bit, then looked to William. He still looked sickly, pale and completely vulnerable, but the fire was mostly back in his eyes, which was one of the more important things. 

He plopped onto the bed and nodded. "yeah... a little." he patted the bed beside him. "Since I'm not well enough to go out, we'll have the date here." There was no arguing with him on this. it was perfectly clear. "we'll have a picnic dinner in the living room." He was, however, not going to allow William to leave this room till he got something. Anything. 

Looking at him from the corner of his eye he sighed. "I am glad though..." he cleared his throat and reached over to brush some of the hair from Ronald's eyes. "...Your spark is back even if you complexion isn't back." 

he paused for a moment suddenly guilty. "I...didn't mean to hit you...earlier...yesterday, I got angry, that hollow monotone that isn't you...guess I panicked or wasn't ready to face the fact that it was really me who caused you pain."

He reached out and took his hand with both of his, pulling it up to press it to his heart. "William... you did a lot of damage. it's gonna take a lot to fix it... the fact that you admitted to caring even a little bit, is what helped... but i need more than that." he caught his gaze and held it. 

"...If you want to fix what you broke... you will have to do something i know deep down you're terrified of doing. You must trust me... and allow yourself to feel." his voice was soft, his gaze loving, holding nothing back. He was trying to be subtle, trying to make time for William to accept things and think instead of panicking and getting even more defensive. His eyes pleading with William to try... to return his feelings. 

A moment of silence came between them again, he let Ronald talk and speak his piece for a moment, while his fingers could feel the heart pounding under the youngers' ribs. It was really how he felt? That fleeting heart racing moment came for a second then he took a breath. "...Alright." he finally agreed. "...I trust you..."

He bit his lip and forced himself not to look away, as much as what he was about to say made him want to, since the last time he'd uttered the words, William had broken him. 

"I do not take the words i say lightly. I do not talk of love as if it is a game, like Grell does. When i choose to utter the words 'i love you', i mean them with every fiber of my being. William... I think I've more than proven you can't get rid of me that easily. The years i have done everything for you, taken care of you, without a word of thanks from you... i did it happily because i was near you. I am loyal to a fault, and it took your own callous words to push me away... you broke my heart, which broke my spirit. If you choose to take me into your heart, i will never leave you or forsake you.... i will never hurt you." 

he moved Will's hand and kissed it gently. "William... I love you with every part of me... and that will never change." he said, his voice passionate and firm. "you can choose not to love me back, but you will never change how i feel." 

It was almost like being shot through the heart with a gun, clean through, it wasn't painful, but it was the shock that filled him that made him swallow hard. He thought on his past, it was what he considered a reflection, that affair that had destroyed him, made him feel numb to his world around him. He committed the ultimate human sin of suicide which doomed him to be a reaper.

But...that wasn't truly the forefront. Ron had been there several times, worked hard, even on overtime with his carefree self, it was enough to make him proud. Now he was here confessing an undying loyalty, an...unrequited love. An emotion he avoided afraid to get hurt again. "...I'm not much to be a suitor, but...I will at least...try."

He knew he was on the brink of something, and the admission to try was satisfying, but he decided to push just a little further. "kiss me." he requested softly. It was just an impulse, a barrier he knew William had to breach when he was in a bit of an emotional state. 

They were in private, and secluded, and Ronald felt like it was appropriate for the situation. Not to mention it would seal the pact they were sort-of making. He didn't want to be pushy, but he wanted to show William his feelings. The best way to do that... was with a kiss. And he wasn't going to let him get away with some random quick peck either. 

William looked at him for a moment, at that request it made his mouth go dry. He sighed softly, suddenly his confidence turned into his own form of anxiety. Slowly he reached over, tilting his chin up, and it was gentler than the last time when he had been cleaning off the split lip from the nights ago. He was actually shaking slightly, in a form of self-consciousness. Taking a breath he leaned forward and pressed his lips against Ron's, not even quickly pulling away.

He moved fast, not fast enough to make William freak out, but before the other could pull away, pulling him into his arms, closer to him, holding him and deepening the kiss, closing his eyes, conveying everything he was, everything he felt, and trying to show William that this was ok, with that action. That he was ok. 

he was trying to use his body language to show him how much he truly cared, loved and adored him. The embrace was intimate, but not caging or clingy, William could pull away at any time and Ronald would let him. A something shot through him at that moment of embrace, a tremble, a desire so long subdued rising to the surface. his breath caught in his throat and he was melting, those warm lips he'd so often daydreamed about finally touching his.

He kept close as much as Ron had wanted too. Then slowly he pulled back a little to catch his own breath and then he sighed leaning up to press a light kiss to his forehead. "I'm sorry Ron..." he muttered so softly to him. "For hurting you. I really do mean it."

He was, for some reason, breathless. "William... shut up." he whispered, his eyes shining as he looked at him. "I know you mean it.. now let yourself go." his tone was enticing. "I know you're scared... I'm scared too... but I'd prefer to be scared together than try to figure things out on my own." He gently reached up and stroked his hand down William's cheek. 

"Please... stop thinking, stop being calculating and really look at me. I'm here, even now. Even after you hurt me, not even that could destroy my feelings. Not completely. You came here for a reason, and i know that reason is not just because you miss me, or because you care a little bit. I can see the longing in your eyes, It's never there when you look at anyone but me. I'm begging you, Will... Let me love you." 

He closed his eyes for a moment, those light touches, the gestures he really missed. He never believed he could have missed such a feeling, but it seemed he did. Slowly he tilted his head for only a moment feeling the stroke, wanting it to never end. 

He took a shaking breath, then he sighed, reaching up to remove his glasses, setting them nearby before he suddenly wrapped his arms around Ronald's waist, squeezing, holding on tight as he rest his forehead against the younger's collarbone, suddenly it was as if he was clingy or afraid it would slip through his fingers again.

He stiffened a little at that sudden embrace, but he didn't fight it. His arms went around William's shoulders and he gently ran his fingers through the others hair. "William..." he whispered, unable to hide the almost awed stunned happiness in his tone. he slowly moved his hand and made the other look at him. 

"William...." he said again, his gaze locked onto the others, a soft smile on his face. He leaned down just a little and kissed him again, long, sweet, lingering and passionate, his fingers shifting to tease his back lightly, not wanting to move fast or anything, just enjoying the scent of him and the sweet taste on his lips. Warmth filled him, and he almost thought he was dreaming. 

He sighed softly, his body didn't tense like it had; it relaxed to a comfortable position, his own insides that had been a cold frozen tundra felt like it got a burst of warm sunlight, slowly warming and melting away the ice. It left him feeling comfortable, and...alive. His gloved hands laid to rest on Ronald's upper back, holding him there.

He didn't move, didn't do anything but tighten his grip, letting the kiss continue, shifting to make it even deeper, parting his lips invitingly as his fingers shifted at last to run through his hair. He wanted to show William his love, but his lust was beginning to show itself as his hand shifted again to undo Will's tie completely and discard it. He didn't make any other move to undress him, however. 

After a moment he pulled back, he needed air, his cheeks that were usually a nice pale color were now the color of ripe cherries. He had snapped out of the dream like reverie when the other reaper had pulled his tie away and discarded it to heaven knew where in the now spotless room. He had opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out, he let out a soft breath of air. "Damn it..." he muttered so softly. The sensations were really new to him.

Ronald watched him, he was clearly shaken. He reached out and took his hand, squeezing it gently. "just relax." he said quietly. "I said let me love you, not you have to do anything. And i mean that. You said you trust me... i need you to keep doing that. I want to make you feel good. You don't have to worry about doing anything in return. Let me do this for you... let me show you what i can give you besides what i do at work... please... I need to."

It was true... he was having trouble controlling himself... he wanted to touch him, to make him feel, and show him it was ok to do so. He was done being subtle; As Will had pretty much shouted at him the day he'd hurt him; to court him was to be forced to do so bluntly; So he was going to take that advice here and now. 

Staring at him for a long level moment, William took a breath and nodded. "Alright." he finally agreed softly. "And I do trust you Ronald...if this is something you wish to do, I will let you do it." he shifted his position a little so he was sitting on a more comfortable spot of the bed. "Just, no reopening your wounds." he told him, tone slightly serious now.

Smiling, he nodded. "i doubt what i have in mind will strain my injuries." he said softly.


	5. Getting Heated

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ronnie shows a bit of 'special skills' he may have learned at that harem job.
> 
> Or maybe from somewhere else. Time will tell.

Before William could open his mouth to tell him off a little he was silenced by the mouth that covered his, that passionate kiss that was comforting, and nice, and turned his insides to nothing but that odd heat. "Mm..."

Ronald shifted so he was literally in Will's lap for a moment, kissing him deeply as his hands began to undo the buttons on Will's shirt. Once he had it open he started kissing down his cheek to his neck, kissing and nipping gently as his hands found Will's own hands, taking off his gloves and setting them aside before letting his hands slide along the toned flesh of Will's chest and stomach, slowly easing the shirt down off him to fall to the bed behind. 

He left a few love-bites on Will's shoulders, continuing his torment, his heart pounding as he slowly and lovingly worked William over. 

A sound came out of William's throat before he shuddered slightly, the buttons had come loose softly and it was leaving him openly exposed, but that wasn't the only thing that made him shudder, it was the fact that Ron was basically covering the expanse of his upper body with his mouth. His fingers uncovered absently clutched at the bit of fabric under them. He lost his voice, at a loss for words on what to say.

He lightly pushed at Will's chest, pressing him down onto the mattress so he was laying prone as he continued to lavish his love onto him physically, his tongue teasing the bud of one of his nipples to distract him a bit as he slowly undid his belt and gently began to tug it off. He set it with the gloves, not wanting to make a mess. 

He moved to tease and kiss Will's other nipple as he undid his pants, slipping a hand down them without moving them to gently ghost his fingers over Will's member, his own body vibrating with excitement and almost disbelief that Will was allowing him to touch him so intimately, and was seeming to enjoy it. 

William had been distracted indeed, his thoughts, the racing ones had been starting to become muddled, and fuzzy, there was something more exciting that was filling his veins. It made his body shiver, and even produce some form of goosebumps. 

His body was more sensitive than he originally predicted, no longer was he that stone front, now it was like he'd become only human. His body suddenly jerked a little bit feeling the combination of lips over the nubs and those fingers that ghosted over his clothed manhood. "Shit..." he swore softly.

Ronald started kissing lower, and as he did so started working Will's pants down, still gently teasing him over his underwear as he did so, his tongue delving gently into William's naval, pleased to hear the soft expletive among his breathing hitching and speeding up. He considered that signs that everything was going fine. 

He nipped a bit at the flesh around Will's stomach and finally succeeded in getting the pants off or at least down far enough to satisfy him. He slowly slipped a hand into William's underclothes and grasped the rapidly hardening rod he'd been longing to touch for years, stroking it gently and teasing him. 

Breathing hitched again, and William could feel whatever rational thought he probably had suddenly fly out the window, and go far far away. The endorphins or..whatever it was that gave his body relaxation and pleasure had made themselves clearly known. 

He could only let out a tiny noise of embarrassment feeling completely exposed to the torture. However when he took in a breath to try and regulate, that touch to his erection was the part that nearly did him in, a low groan escaping from his throat.

He glanced up at him, saw that he was literally melting in under his expert touch, and finally took that last step, He shifted the undergarments away from covering Will and pulled them down, then kissed lower and lower, his hands constantly teasing him as he kissed his thighs, his inner thighs, and finally his hand slid up William's body to tease his nipple as his lips ghosted kisses up and down that beautiful erection, one hand staying down to stabilize it as he teased and doted. 

He didn't put any of it in his mouth as of yet, no... he wanted Will to writhe a little bit more before he did it. 

William groaned, the teasing was going to drive him mad. He could think about the damn dancing around a certain demon would constantly do around him. These sensations were different though instead of rage and annoyance it was more like happiness and ecstasy. 

"Mn..." he looked down at Ron a little bit, he could feel those lips along his erection and eyes nearly rolled back at the sensation. Perhaps Ronald working at that Harem wasn't a bad thing, at least not when it came to this.

He looked up at him, his eyes outpouring the affection he was inflicting physically, and he parted his lips and slowly licked William's member up and down before taking it halfway into his mouth, teasing the tip of it with his tongue; Little did William know that Ronald rarely did sexual favors at the harem, it was mostly physical domination and pain he inflicted, not pleasure, but he was very versed in pleasure... considering what he'd done when he was human. 

It carried over and helped him form the reaper he was now... which is why he seemed so hollow and empty when he was rejecting his human side thanks to William's words. He shook off the thought and focused on making Will moan, humming softly to make his mouth vibrate as he started to really attempt to give the other pleasure. 

He suddenly let in a sharp inhale of breath through gritted teeth, shock waves of sudden pleasure coursed through his veins when Ronald suddenly took his hard erection into his mouth even if it was halfway it still felt surprisingly good. 

But then again, he was unsure if he ever felt like this before. He bit his lip a little bit and gave a bit of a lower groan, even his vision started to go slightly fuzzy as his hand trailed down and rest at the top of the blond head, fingers lightly ran through the strands.

The moan encouraged Ronald, and soon enough he'd taken the entire length into his mouth, humming around it and tightening his throat around it a bit to tease him, pulling away and then delving back again, simulating thrusting with his movements as he focused on the noises, the touch in his hair.... the scent and taste of him... 

oh how he wished for William to touch him like this, but he didn't care at the moment, he was enjoying himself. He let out a soft moan as he felt his own loins tighten in desire and want. 

Fingers absently tightened in the blond tresses, he was feeling short of breath, he was starting to turn to panting and had indeed turned into a puddle in Ron's actions. Shocks of lightning ran down his spine due to the tight moist heat that was Ron's mouth. 

He resisted the urge to jerk his hips as his body was becoming overwhelmed to a point that even his lower sections were tightening and straining. His toes had only curled a little bit, biting on his lower lip to stifle some of the louder sounds.

He paused for a moment, pulling away to catch his breath, and smiled at William. "don't stifle yourself." he said softly, panting a bit. "The more noises you make means I'm doing a good job." 

Without waiting for an answer he went at it again, his hand drifting down now to gently tease William's testes, wanting to make him squirm and cry out even if he was going to try and stifle himself. He wanted to taste more of him. He loved the feeling of Will's fingers tightening in his hair. 

He shifted and squirmed on the sheets, that sudden touch had jolted out a cry of sudden pleasure from the usually stoic man's throat. His body tensed only for a moment before it relaxed again. His breathing turned to heavy panting. 

Slowly he brought his other hand to Ronald's hair and worked to keep him there. However, there was a sudden jerk of his hips, sending his cock deeper into the younger's throat. His body was making actions on its own it felt like.

He was luckily well versed in people shifting like that, and took it without a problem, feeling more fingers added to his hair made him happy, and he started working William faster, wanting to hear more cries, his fingers teasing him even more. 

He didn't care anymore about anything except hearing the ragged breathing, the love in him exploding out physically and emotionally, filling the room with an almost tingling aura. Ronald seemed to glow a bit almost in the light coming from the small window near the ceiling of his bedroom, dust motes floating about almost made him look angelic. 

Green eyes looked down at him for a moment and he absently licked his lower lip. He couldn't help but stare, had he always looked do nice before? Or like this at least. No, he couldn't have, this was really the first time he could actually look at Ronald without it being business. 

He gulped some air, parts of his hazy mind traveled, thinking of what felt like a future, which would obviously have this, but perhaps it would have him waking up to Ron at the crack of dawn. These odd life style thoughts made him bite onto his lower lip. "Shit..." he muttered softly, his loins tightened more. He felt like he was going to burst.

Sensing he was getting close, the bottle blonde started moving faster still, it was obviously something that took some working at to get down to shift and move without a pause, giving intense pleasure in all the right places at the right moments... 

or perhaps it was just Ronald's intimate knowing of everything about William, and despite never having done anything like this to him before, seeming to be in tune with what the ravenet needed and wanted. His eyes opened a sliver, to gaze up at William briefly through the hands tugging at his hair, and made a move to try and shove Will over the edge, he gently teased a finger at his rear entrance, not pushing it in, but teasing it to the point where it would shoot even more pleasure through him. 

"Mn...ah..." he gasped as he let out a deep groan at the faster speed. His lower muscles had begun to tighten up breathing was turning ragged, it was like the air in the room was becoming humid. It was like he was a damn dog in heat and needed to rut. 

It was that last touch that did him in, that sudden brush against the most sensitive, most private part of his body that made him cry out from sheer pleasure. His vision turned almost white and he could feel that tightened muscle finally release. Shots of sticky seed would go right down Ronald's throat.

He had anticipated the exact timing and had pulled back enough to be able to drink it down without choking. He used his tongue and mouth to clean up William before pulling away, panting for breath, and laying beside him, a soft pink on his face as he savored the taste on his lips, his eyes closing. 

He didn't look at him, letting William recover for a bit and just laying there in silence, breathing comfortably. His heart was pounding, and he knew William had enjoyed himself. He just didn't know how much, and his stomach was fluttering with nerves. 

William felt like he had been in a daze, he didn't realize how much pleasure really had felt good until he experienced it just now. Slowly he reached out his hand and brought it over to rest behind Ronald's head, pulling him close ever so lightly. 

He was silent as they rested for a moment the only noise in his ears nothing more than the pounding heartbeat and his ragged breathing. Then he glanced a little at the blonde who was next to him. "You swear you won't go...?" he muttered, a bit insecure.


	6. Reciprocation and Guilt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> William decides to return Ronald's affections... for the moment... which leads to a startling confession, or at least the beginning of one.

Silence for a moment. then Ronald looked over, propping himself up on his elbow and shifting to look at him. "on my life." he said quietly, his voice solemn and firm. 

He kissed him sweetly. "I swear. I will never leave you. Come torture, sickness, the end of the world... i don't care. I will love you till my dying breath." He nuzzled him gently. He had no idea what was coming to him, poor thing. 

Reaching over he pulled the other close to him, kissing the top of his head gently and let him rest against his heated skin. "...Ask Alan to get some of sort of meat dish. Maybe steak or something." he muttered softly looking down at him.

"You need the meat on your bones again. Though as a special request from me, tell him anything sweet will do for dessert." he muttered to him.

He settled in amiably, though shifting a bit at the tightness in his shorts. "alright." he said softly, letting his eyes close. He could take care of his problem later... the point right now was to make William feel at ease and comfortable, not sate his own lust. 

He put a gentle hand out to cross Will's stomach and hold onto him, his mind drifting and thinking of the look of bliss on Will's face when he'd climaxed. It made him feel good that he could get that expression from him. 

William sighed and turned his head to look at him. "What about you?" he asked him voice still soft even if it carried that monotone. "...You were obviously feeling something as well..." he paused for a moment thinking over just what he was going to say. "What can I do to help you?" he finally decided to ask, throwing away that rational part of his mind for now once more.

His eyes flew open and he turned crimson. "i..." he was caught off-guard. "Y-you don't have to ... i ..." he took a breath. "If you wish to do something... I'd rather that be your own decision." he managed at last. 

"You could probably kill me and I'd be ok with it at this point." he bit his lip. probably a poor choice of words, but they were out. "...sorry... that was probably in bad taste." he mumbled, sitting up and fiddling with his hands, staring at them. 

"Considering I nearly killed you with that depression of yours, yes." he sighed softly and then leaned over to place a kiss against his forehead lightly. "Hm..." he closed his eyes for a moment and let his bare hand slide down from the bandaged up ribs to his hip. 

Will's body was working on its own accord as his fingers hooked around the undergarment that Ronald had put on after his shower, tugging the band over Ron's own swelling erection.

Ronald blushed, muttering another apology and then shuddered when William's hand drifted south gently, and started tugging at his boxers. He shifted to give him easier ability to remove it and lay back, looking at him, wanting to remember the moment. 

He let out a soft sigh, trembling at the feeling of Will's gentle hands on his damaged body. He was melting already and nothing had even happened yet. 

William smirked just a little, glad that he was already reacting. He wasn't surprised, a young body like his was probably easily excited, but then again Ron had just given a blow job while his sounds had simply echoed in the room.

He didn't have the experience like the other did, but he hoped it would work at least. His slender fingers wrapped around Ronald's erection and he started to stroke slowly, feeling the heated skin and ridges under the pads of his uncovered fingers.

Fingers curled into the sheets as Ronald's eyes involuntarily closed, a moan drifting almost immediately from his lips, soft and adorable as he lay his head back on the pillow, his breath hitching, heart pounding so hard he could almost swear Will could hear it. 

He bit his lip, his hair splaying across his forehead in a fan, making him look a little younger than he was, but at the same time extremely sexy. There was a reason he had been offered the job at that damn harem. He was GOOD LOOKING.

"ah... Will..." the soft exclamation of the other's name came from him, his voice soft, sexy... loving. William was touching him.... He could barely believe it. 

Licking his lips slightly, Will could feel the body tremble and could practically hear his heart pounding. He continued to stroke him, sometimes clenching slightly tightly then loosening and continued to stroke him. 

The thought of the Harem left a nasty taste in his mouth, but he didn't bring it up, not yet. William himself wasn't experienced, but there had been times there had been men or even women on the to die list, most of those records he had seen had moments of sexual intimacy. 

Some raw, others sweet, others had downright sick minds. He wondered in the back of his mind what Ronald actually did like. Did he like being beaten into submission? No, couldn't be. Maybe tied up...the thought of that tied up Ronald suddenly brought a shock down his spine that made him take a sharp intake of breath.

Ronald moaned and writhed on the bed under his touch. Sometimes an inexperienced hand was far better than an experienced one... honestly he didn't care. He was panting and tugging at the sheets, generally making an adorable sight of himself without half-trying. 

That hand felt exquisite on him, not because he knew exactly what he was doing, but because of who it belonged to. Oh gods he wanted more, but he dared not ask for it, nor could he, due to the fact that he seemed to have lost the ability to speak. 

"Ronald..." he whispered that name of the one under him softly, almost seductively, an intimate whisper that came out of him. He started to pick up the pace in his stroking, twisting his wrist every so often to see if there were different angles that could make him writhe. He was going to make the blond feel good just as he did.

Hearing William speak his name like that was almost enough to get him to climax, he let out a loud cry and arched his back, panting and moaning louder with each stroke. It didn't matter how William touched him, every touch was electrifying, sending fire and pulses of pleasure through him like he'd grabbed hold of a power-line. 

He reached out blindly, letting go of the sheet in favor of clinging to William's free arm, pulling him in to kiss him desperately in spite of his moans. "ahn.... fuck... Will..." 

William actually liked the way he sounded, that desperate moan and whine. He got pulled down and then placed his mouth over Ronald's, making sure the kiss was deep, passionate, just the way he loved it, he gave the erection another squeeze before slowing his pace down, teasing him, before speeding it up again. 

His ears were filled with the sound of his moaning, but also the soft wet noises that came from their kiss, and the slick on the blond's erection. It was perverse, but he didn't care.

Ronald moaned into the kiss, clinging to him desperately as he felt the rising wave of his climax start to hit him hard. Breaking the kiss and arching, almost levitating off the bed he came with a violent jerk, panting and crying out, almost screaming Will's name in jubilant ecstasy. 

He jolted a few times as his body continued the climax and eventually he settled, panting for breath, his eyes half-lidded as he gazed up at William, not caring about the small white specks on both of them. He couldn't speak, just looked, a smile on his face despite the panting. 

"Feel better?" Will asked softly as he laid himself next to him, he again pressed a soft kiss to his forehead and stroked the blonde hair out of Ron's face. "Your glasses are fogged up." he let out a small chuckle and then reached over to pluck the specs off of Ronald's nose to he could wipe them off.

Finding his voice he blushed as William grabbed his glasses. "y-yeah..." he managed, suddenly feeling a tad shy for whatever reason. "William... I... I can't... I can't tell you how touched i am that you wanted to take care of me...." he said quietly. 

"You didn't have to... you're amazing." the look on his face was one of complete doting adoration as he gazed up at Will, still shaking from the orgasm. he bit his lower lip to keep from letting it tremble, suddenly overcome by emotion he found himself fighting back tears.

William felt pleased as he heard what the younger reaper had to say, but then when he could see the tears that had formed in his eyes he suddenly felt anxious. "O-Oi, are you alright?" he questioned not quite sure if the fighting back of tears had to do with something he did wrong. "...I didn't do anything to hurt you...did I?" he asked voice lowering to a soft tone.

He sat up and sniffled, shaking his head. "n-no... I'm just really happy." he managed before bursting into tears. "I've worked so long.... and so hard.... and when you rejected me.... it felt like my life was over.... and now... you're being so wonderful... i ... i just....I'm sorry! " 

He clung to William, buried his face in his shoulder and just sobbed. He was unsure of the future now... but he had to be beside this man... he didn't care what happened as long as William cared for him. The other hadn't even said the words he'd been longing to hear yet... but he didn't care. He knew the love was there. That was enough. 

William was taken aback during that moment then sighed resting his cheek against Ronald's head, holding him close to give him a small kiss against his temple. "I'm sorry..." he murmured softly to him. "I know I've said it several times, but I am sorry. I hurt you. If I could turn it back...I could've worded my answer better..."

Ronald shook his head. after a few moments of sobbing uncontrollably he managed to calm down a bit and took a few shaky breaths. "n-no... no it's ok... As long as i can be by your side from now on... i don't care. I don't care if we never have sex, i don't care about anything as long as you will hold me and stay with me... and let me be near you." he said, sounding subdued. "Just love me, William... that's enough for me." 

Sighing softly he patted and rubbed his back a little, his fingers trailing along the bandaging. He thought about it for a moment, a long one. Letting Ronald finish sobbing it all out. Then he took in a deep breath and sighed. "I do not want you going back to that Harem." he finally told him flat out. 

"It's not an order from a superior...there's no need to bargain, it's a personal request because I care about you. I don't want to see you get hurt because I've not paid any mind to your wants and needs."

Ronald stopped dead. ".... a request..." he said softly. "You don't know anything about that place." Honestly the request was all that was needed to get him to quit. But he did want a chance to explain why he'd want to stay.

"William... I never do anything sexual... I only got hurt because i broke the rules... I was down... and i let a customer tie me up. I'm never supposed to be on the receiving end of the fetishes.... It was my fault I got hurt. The employees there .... the matron of the place... She... She's a single mom of four kids, and her husband got killed... by me." ah. the true reason... guilt. 

He sighed as he listened to the explanation. He looked at him, it wasn't because he thought he did anything sexual, it was because he had gotten hurt. At first from the first explanation Ronald had given him, it sounded like it was because it was his own fault. because he wasn't paying attention. "Why did you kill him?" he asked softly, wanting to know the reason behind the other's guilt.

"he was on my list. When i saw his Record.... i dunno... something happened... i felt bad for the woman... so when she asked me to work, i said yes..... She still doesn't know the extra money in the register is from my tips at the end of the night." He shook his head. "maybe I'm getting soft... But something touched me... I felt bad for taking him away from her...."


	7. Confession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shinigami must be indifferent. If they sympathize with their victims.... something terrible can happen to them...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm quite proud of myself for always posting every wednesday. <3 
> 
> I hope you all are enjoying this! I am enjoying writing it!
> 
> Sorry it's a shorter chapter. eheh

Ronald bit his lip. "....I'll quit if you wish it of me. I'll do anything for you... But i thought you should know the reason I stayed. The real one." 

William sighed and scratched the back of his neck for a moment he seemed to think then he looked at him. The matron had been polite, not nasty for the fact that Ron had not come in to work. He waited for a moment dealing with the pros and cons. 

He could tell Ron to stay away and make guilt eat at him, or he could let him stay and work. But then he decided on a simple question. "Does working there make you happy?"

Ronald paused. He could tell the truth... the whole truth... but that would just upset William. He'd made a promise... he'd made lots of promises. "Yes." he finally said after a moment. It wasn't a lie. working there kept him alive.

He glanced to the small black dot on his right wrist. It throbbed once, as if reminding him of the deal he'd made. He looked at William. He'd do anything to stay with him. Including something incredibly stupid. 

Will sighed and gave him a gentle kiss on the lips, a light peck. Then he pulled away a little. "Then you can keep working, as long as it makes you happy...but if you get hurt again, I'm going to make sure to pull you out so fast your head will spin. Or at least let the matron of that lovely house that I do not appreciate customers beating on you."

"...She threw out the woman who hurt me. banned her from returning." he said softly. "I woke up before she could call for help." He shook his head. "I want to stay." 

he had to stay. He put his hand over the black dot on his wrist and smiled at William. "Don't worry about me, I promise i won't be that stupid again. I don't have a reason to be depressed and not want to leave anymore. I have you." 

With a nod he reached over and ruffled up Ronald's hair. "Perhaps, that dessert Alan should pick up should have chocolate." he muttered as he lightly hugged the blond close to him for a moment. 

"I heard it's a very human way to cure depression. Though I never really had it." he shrugged slightly. "Don't know if it's true. I'll let you choose dinner, is that fair?"

Ronald smiled. "yeah... I'm not really depressed anymore..." he stole a kiss and smirked. "you should probably get dressed." he said softly, grabbing a towel and going into the bathroom to clean himself up a bit. He came back out and pulled on some boxers and pants. "I'll call Alan." he said, grabbing the phone and walking into the living room. 

"oi Alan..." he told him what to pick up, then glanced to the doorway and lowered his voice. "by the way... That thing we talked about... yeah that... I have no choice now.... I can't let William see me like that.... No... If i tell him he'll pull away.... it was hard just to get him to-.... Alan... Alan i Can't!... Do-... I know... but... you said Dorian knows the cure. He cured you didn't he?.... True... Going through it alone will be hell but.... " he sighed, then seemed to be listening as Alan went on a tirade. 

William had taken the time to get himself at least somewhat nicely dressed with the clothing that had been scattered around. He didn't dress up tightly like he did, his black jacket was loose and he allowed a few of the buttons on his white dress shirt to remain unbuttoned on the top. 

He had placed his gloves in his pocket and had put his glasses back on, because he didn't want things to appear blurry or smudged from far away. Soon he came back into the living room. His usually neat hair was askew again.

Ronald glanced over as Will entered the room. "Alan! for god's sake i know!" he turned away, unable to look at William as Alan continued to yell at him. "you Don't understand, i CAN'T." he said in exasperation. "i PROMISED!" faintly from the phone's receiver one could hear 

"a promise to a demon is hardly overriding.... you didn't. YOU FUCKING IDIOT!!"

Ronald sighed. "just bring over the food. I'll handle this my way." 

Alan didn't usually swear but there was a brief shower of expletives as Alan told Ronald exactly what he thought of 'Ronald's way of doing things' and then hung up after saying he'd be there in an hour. 

Ronald sighed, stared at the receiver and put it down. He was trembling again, setting the phone down and staring at his wrist. he refused to turn, refused to look at William. After the wonderful time they'd just had... he couldn't bring himself to look at the guy. 

If he told him, he'd die. if he quit working at the harem, he'd die. If he kept quiet, William would probably get the wrong idea and leave him. 

"It's not like Alan to swear." William spoke calmly as he walked over and looked at the phone. The brunet was as polite and sweet as they come, and sometimes the shy one. 

"Is there something wrong over at the Libraries?" he questioned looking at Ronald's back for a moment, confused why the blond was refusing to look at him.

"..no." fuck it... He'd rather die in William's arms than lie to him. "... there's something wrong with me." He sighed and looked at William, his eyes full of tears once more. 

His wrist throbbed in warning, as if the damn demon who'd cursed him was listening. He probably was. "I said something happened when i killed that man. I felt sympathy.... William... I..." oh god he couldn't even say it. "I'm sick." was all he managed to spit out. The whole story would come out the moment Alan got there if William didn't drag it out of him before that. 

"Sympathy..." he paused for a long moment to think it over. He could have sworn he heard this same exact problem with Alan, which is a reason why Eric and him were so lovingly close. 

It was because of the Curse of Thorns that would slowly ache and pain someone until they died. It was one of the few ways to kill an immortal soul other than just a Shinigami's weapon on its own. "...Thorns..." he muttered.

Ronald didn't respond. He couldn't. That alone gave William the answer he desired.


	8. Shi no Toge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Upon the realization that Ronald has been cursed with the horrid Thorns Of Death, a plan of action begins to unfold... involving an unlikely source.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is where the AU hits it's stride as an AU. There is a cure, beyond 1000 pure souls. I hope your curiosity gets piqued. <3

Ronald looked down, ashamed of himself. "The demon appeared to me, he told me if i worked for the woman, he'd let me live... he told me if i said anything to you about it, he'd let them kill me. He told me if i quit working there, he'd let them kill me... I'd rather die than lie to you... I'd rather die than keep secrets.... Please... I didn't tell you because you were finally opening up to me... I was planning on quitting and just letting them take me after you rejected me... I... I'm sorry." tears hit his hand. There was a cure... it was just a matter of locating the rogue once again... and seeing if he'd cooperate. 

"Ah...which is why Alan must have gotten angry. The cure for his was unknown. Eric Slingby didn't even reveal how it was done..." he eyed Ronald for a long moment, then he sighed, walking over for a moment and placed a hand atop his head. 

"A greater sin for a Shinigami is killing themselves again. Another is slaying innocent souls up to a thousand to cure the thorns..." then he looked at Ronald. "...What do you plan to do now? If you choose the latter...I will have to be forced to remove your name, status...it's...a form of banishment."

a long silence. ".... there's another way." he said softly. "a third option." he looked down at his wrist. already the bedamned dot was starting to move, to worm its way on his skin like some horrid living tattoo. It hurt like hell but fuck if he was going to show it. 

".... We have to find Dorian Gray." Dorian, the former partner of Undertaker. both of them had left the libraries. Dorian was known for his expertise in poisons and antidotes, and torture. Undertaker was now known for his knowledge of anatomy and the human body. Unlike Undertaker, however, Dorian was hard to find. 

"Impossible." he stated firmly looking at Ron. He had heard stories of Dorian Gray. "That man has been hard to find for centuries. One would be lucky to find him. The rat doesn't stay in more than one place." he sighed softly and rubbed the back of his neck. "...However, our old Superior...the "Undertaker" may know a possibility. But..." he looked at Ronald again and sighed. "...If it doesn't work, what then?"

"then i die happily in your loving arms." he said quietly. "I will not kill innocent people to save my own life. It's not even an option in my head." he bit his lip. "I will die knowing that you know I love you... And i will till my heart stops beating. And i will die satisfied." he took a deep, trembling breath. "I already know where Dorian is. The question is... will he help us." He didn't say how he knew, but it probably had something to do with Alan swearing at him so badly. 

With a sigh William lightly hugged him for a moment. They were in a private spot and the fact that Ron was in tears as it was, it was starting to get hard for him to take. Not in a rude or mean way, jut the way that it hurt him to see him cry. The dedication the reaper had towards him was absolute if he was willing to die rather than collect innocent souls...then that was something Will admired. "Alright."

"I can't go back now." Ronald said softly. "i have to quit. If I'm having attacks i can't be working there... it'd be too dangerous." he shook his head. 

"Dorian is in London for the moment.... I believe he's visiting Undertaker." He was trembling visibly. 

"Alan knew the moment i got sick... it didn't matter that i was fine at the time... he kept telling me to go to you... but i was too afraid... I'm afraid now but I'd rather be with you for a short time, or if Dorian cooperates, longer... than live on being a coward." He tried to calm down. "William I'm so scared... Please... don't leave me..." He reached out and grabbed onto William's jacket, his gaze pleading and desperate. "I didn't want to hurt you... i still don't... I just-" 

"Ronald Knox..." he used his full name and lightly pressed the one in question against the wall staring down at him with serious green eyes. "As much as it does pain me to know that you have a short time to keep your life if you don't see this man...or if he even cooperates. I want your promise here and now you will work hard to keep fighting...until the last moment. For the both of us. If you fought to catch my attention, fight to keep me now."

He stared at him, wide-eyed in silence for a moment. "I promise. I don't intend to give up without a fight... not anymore." he said. "Now i need you to tell me. I need you to say it. If I'm to fight for you, For my life.... for us.... I need to hear those words that i have freely and seriously given to you." he said, his voice soft but firm. "I need to hear you say it. It will give me strength. It will give me dedication. Say it, William. Please..." 

William stood there silently for a moment, searching his heart that had taken a complete 180 since this morning. Taking in a breath he leaned in close to Ronald's ear, his breath was warm against the skin of his ear.

The promise itself had to be sealed, almost like their own contract. He found those things to be absurd, but this was someone he did care about. He took a moment before speaking those three little words he wanted to hear into his ear, a faint little whisper that was still loud. "I...love you."

Ronald seemed to relax, slid down the wall, crumpling onto the floor. At first it would seem like he'd just melted due to hearing the words he'd been longing to hear for years. A moment later a barely stifled moan of pain was heard from him. 

He clenched his fist, the dark tattoo was spreading, it was looking like a twisted bracelet tattoo and spreading up his arm. Ronald had one hand clapped over his mouth to keep himself from screaming.

A noise at the front door. "Oi, Ronald! William? I brought dinner!" there was noises of Alan setting the food down on the counter.

For a moment William was confused, then he sighed and leaned down to hug the young one close to him for a moment before he looked up at the front door. He looked at Ronald with a stay here gesture and got up from his spot, walking his way to the front where Alan had come from. "Good, you brought it." he spoke in dead calm.

Alan looked to William. "where's Ronald?" he asked. The look on William's face betrayed something because Alan immediately walked around him and pulled something out of his pocket. He located Ronald as if the guy had a tracking device on him. 

"Ronald... This is going to hurt like hell but it'll stop the attack." he warned, grabbing Ronald's arm and holding him still. He injected a white liquid into his arm just above his wrist where the Thorns were writhing. 

Ronald turned his head, stifling a loud scream, but the black tattoo stopped moving instantly and retreated. 

Alan sat back and looked over, assuming William had followed him. "I can teach you." was all he said as Ronald tried to calm down, the pain beginning to subside. 

William didn't know what look he had given to get the brunet to move around and went to Ronald. Then he had followed him and stood behind Alan for a moment. "What is that? A temporary relief over a permanent fix?" he asked calmly since he eyed the tattoo slipping away. 

"Alan knows of at least a temporary way of keeping Thorns a bay. It's what kept him going despite it all. Ne, Alan?" a deeper voice spoke at the front door. Eric was chewing on a cigarette butt and his hands were in his pockets.

Alan glanced over. "would you prefer to let him die now?" he asked rhetorically. "It's temporary, yes, but functional. I got the formula from the records Dorian kept before he left." he shook his head. "it's a partial antidote. Only Dorian knows the rest." He got to his feet, digging in his pocket again. He handed William a few small bottles and a package of needles. "It's crude, but it works." 

".... Thank you." said Ronald from the floor. 

"Yes well, I suppose the fact that you needed it at all means you told him anyway." Alan responded. "no thanks needed." 

Ronald got shakily to his feet and sighed, leaning against the wall. "how long does it last?" he asked as he made his way to the couch. 

Alan looked at him. "24 hours, give or take... but even after that time the attacks are never predictable." He walked over to Eric.


	9. Cure?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Discussing a cure, can the elusive Dorian be found? And if so, Will he help?
> 
> Is William actually interested in kinks?

Eric nodded and placed an arm around Alan's waist. "It's what kept you going." he ruffled the brown hair lightly with a hand and sighed softly. "You two just need to look out for each other from now on." his eyes looked from the raven to the sun for a moment before closing his eyes. 

"If you are so apt you can try to find Dorian to reverse it, but I wouldn't hold your breath. He may flat out reject, so I suggest you understand how to make that stuff before it dries out. Because if he says no, you two are in for a battle of hell." lightly Eric's fingers played with Alan's hair for a moment and Will sighed. 

"Alan, the recipe, if you don't mind, create a copy and I'll take it from there." Will's voice was firm again, as if that superiority had come back again.

Alan leaned against Eric. "Ronald already knows where Dorian is." he said calmly. "And if that neurotic bastard will help anyone, it's probably Ronald. And he knows it." 

Ronald blushed and looked at the floor. 

"Regardless, I'll get you the formula... I'd advise brewing it in a room that has good venting, it smells disgusting when it's being made." He sighed, pulled away from Eric and walked over to Ronald, kneeling down in front of him and taking his hand. "Ronald, despite my harsh words You have my deepest sympathies... I'm sorry this happened to you... It is a fate I'd not wish on my worst enemy." he glanced to Eric "after all, you were the one who negotiated our re-instation... we sorta owe you one." 

William looked at Ronald with a raised eyebrow. Ronald Knox, of all people worked to negotiate the two back in after their shared betrayal. Like two lovers they did what they did together, except Eric had gone on his own to try and fix it by himself without Alan's consent. 

Though he wasn't aware that it was the blond who had worked to get the higher ups to bring them back under his own nose. "...You two..." he started then sighed. "...I apologize about the actions I had to take against you two." 

Eric snorted. "You were just being a goody two-shoes. Obeying rules and all that crap."

Ronald bit his lip. 

"Dorian owes Ronald a favor." Alan continued, giving Eric a dirty look that said 'be respectful you dumbass' "... so i don't think getting him to agree to cooperate will be too hard... however..." he paused. 

Ronald sighed. "...however getting Dorian to agree to help and getting him to actually help without torturing me first will be another matter. Being as he's not under the Libraries jurisdiction anymore, he is not obliged to honor any of our codes, and will most likely view me as a test subject." 

"... yeah... that." Alan squeezed Ronald's hand and stood up. "Dorian is a sadistic bastard. The truth of the matter is, he's also the one who gave Ronald the Thorns in the first place."

Eric gave Alan a grin for a moment before frowning and chewing on the cigarette butt again as the two's conversation went on. 

William sighed softly and looked at Alan for a moment then to Ronald. "We're going to have to try." he finally spoke with a calm tone. "...If Dorian owes you this favor Ronald...there might be a loophole with his torturing, maybe..." he trailed off with a mutter and shook his head slightly.

Alan nodded. "I wish you luck. The sooner you go the better." he said walking over to Eric again. 

Ronald glanced to Alan. "Dorian didn't give me the Thorns. It's automatically generated due to sympathy. The demon merely archives the cases." he said quietly. "Dorian will help." his voice was firm. 

"Then i suggest spending tonight doing.... whatever you two are doing... to be close to each other... And go tomorrow." 

Ronald blushed and bit his lip. 

Alan looked to Eric. "come, lets give them some time to be alone..." 

They'd just started exploring their feelings... Ronald wasn't sure if William was quite ready for the step Alan was hinting at, but... they'd have dinner and be together. that was enough for him unless William initiated something. 

Giving a small grin Eric wrapped his arm around Alan's waist to lead him out, but his hand had slipped down to rub and cop a feel of the skinny backside of the brunet like it was no big deal. 

Alan elbowed Eric as they walked down the hall. "you're such a pervert!" he muttered to him as they left.

William rolled his eyes slightly when the couple walked out to leave them alone. Then he looked at Ronald for a moment. "...Does it hurt?" he asked after a few beats of silence nodding to the prick on his arm.

Ronald glanced down. "no." he answered honestly. "whatever Alan did is quite effective. I'm not numb either." he looked to William. "He didn't' show you what to do..." he added softly. "but you can probably figure it out." he got up from the couch, feeling stronger now that he wasn't in any pain at all and walked to the kitchen. 

"now about dinner..." he said, trying to cheer his voice up, he was going to enjoy tonight if it killed him. "I ordered Chinese and had Alan pick up a chocolate lava cake." he started unpacking the bag. "I don't know if you know how to use chopsticks... gods know i can't." 

William looked at the chopsticks for a moment then he shrugged. "I know it's a tradition in japan as well to use chopsticks." he muttered softly and then picked up the odd wooden things for a moment then shrugged. "I'll show you how."

he didn't mention he had gone out to eat Chinese with Grell once and had gotten sick on it. Something about under-cooked chicken. Then he settled on the loveseat and looked at him. "Ronald..." he spoke up softly. "...You don't have to force yourself to be happy when you're not."

He paused, then glanced to William. "I've found pretending to be happy actually makes me happy." he said quietly, his tone a bit more subdued. "don't worry about the chopsticks, I'd prefer a fork."

he finished portioning out the food and handed William a plate. His own wasn't exactly full but there was enough there to sustain him and help him regain the weight he'd lost. He sat down next to him. 

"Will... I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow... so lets make tonight count, ok?" he said, the comment Alan had made heavily on his mind. "But i don't want you to do anything you don't want to just out of pity." he stabbed a piece of pork. "so if you want to just hold me or watch me sleep, that's fine." 

With a sigh he picked at some of the vegetables he had on his plate. He had gotten the stir fry which was mostly vegetables, and rice. He picked up a piece and took a bite from it. He chewed thoughtfully as he went over what Ronald had said. 

"What I do, no matter what, won't be out of pity. Don't forget, you made the promise you would fight this, fight for us." he muttered softly. "You don't plan on going back on it, do you?"

He blinked. "of course not... But i don't pretend to know how you feel other than I know you love me... Love does strange things to people." he said calmly. "It can affect decisions, consciously or unconsciously. I plan on fighting with everything i am, why do you think I'm trying to cheer myself up?" he pointed out mildly, sticking a piece of zucchini into his mouth. 

"I trust you. I also want to do things with you that you may not be ready for, so I'll let you take the lead for a little while." his tone casual as he ate a few bites of rice. 

"Hmph..." he huffed softly through his nose and took another bite from his stir fry only this time it was from a mixture of rice and vegetables with some beef. "You know if you allow me to take the lead, there are some things that may not happen or may happen slowly..." he started off then looked at him. "Can I ask you something though? Do you actually enjoy being tied up?"


	10. Igniting Passion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Melting William's icy heart hasn't been easy... but it's about to pay off.

Ronald nearly choked on his food. "uh... what?" he asked, pounding his chest with his fist. He hadn't been expecting the question. He'd expected the 'slow or not at all' bit but the last part had caught him off-guard. "y-yeah... a bit." he said. 

"handcuffs are fun, so's a blindfold if you trust them enough... why do you ask?" Ronald took a sip of water to wash down the food and waited for a response before taking another bite. 

"Thought about it when I looked at how innocent you looked." William sighed and picked at his vegetables almost ashamed of himself. "I thought about how you would look tied up with that same expression on your face. You know the one that makes you look younger than you really are." he muttered clearing his throat again before taking another bite.

Ronald bit back a chuckle. "oh you mean..." he paused and shifted his expression to one of angelic nature and raised his voice a tad. "this look?" he giggled and poked at him. 

"Why William, I didn't know you had a kinky bone in your body..." he put a finger to his lips. "wanting to defile such an innocent boy. For shame." he was teasing, of course. 

Will's eye gave a small twitch and he choked on his food, patting his chest a little bit and staring at Ronald as if he had grown a second head. 

"I don't have a kinky bone in my body." he huffed. "I don't even know what a damn kink is or what it's supposed to be done with other than the bdsm clubs..." he looked embarrassed and he started to ramble.

Ronald busted into laughter and set his now-empty plate to the side. "well, if you do decide you have one, the handcuffs and blinder are in the bedside drawer along with the lubrication." he said calmly, getting up to go wash his dishes. 

"There's nothing wrong with liking such things, Will." he said over his shoulder. "sometimes those types of things are what reminds you of better times... or that you're alive." Little was known about Ronald's past life as a human. No one had asked, but he had built his Reaper self around it. It was good to hold onto it. 

He sighed and turned red as he lightly stirred what he had on his plate in slow circles looking over at Ronald a little. "I know but some of the things I have witnessed in some of those records can be recorded as some of the most vile disgusting things. I suppose it just depends on the person and the severity." he mumbled softly taking another few bites from his meal on his plate. 

"You...I don't know if I want to harm you."

He walked over to William. "William, handcuffs and blindfolds don't hurt. It's the whips and chains and riding crops that'll leave marks like the ones i had... have... whatever. Relax. wanting to see someone subdued or submissive isn't a bad thing. Believe me, I've had dreams where you're-" 

Ronald stopped and blushed, looking away as he grabbed the glass he'd left on the table and took it quickly to the sink, then returned to him. "To be honest I'm satisfied just having your arms around me, but if you have something you want to try, now would be the time to do it... we don't know how long we've got or what Dorian will do to me." Assuming he did anything at all. 

William set his plate aside and reached over to pull Ronald onto his lap and kissed his neck lightly before just keeping him where he was for a moment. "You talk as if you're going to be gone forever." he sighed and glanced away, it was suddenly like he didn't want to think about it. The idea already made his stomach twist up in knots.

He settled into his lap easily. "what makes you think I'm going alone." he said softly. "what was the point of including you if you don't come with me?" He gazed at him, that soft kiss melting his insides. The idea left him in a state of terror too. He made William look at him. 

"Lets not talk about that." he whispered softly, kissing him. "Tonight is about us. Let's make the most of it." He smiled, a genuine smile sparked by the warm feelings any small gesture William did caused in him. 

William sighed and lightly held him and squeezed his waist for a moment giving him a small kiss back and sighed softly. "I like that smile..." he muttered to him. "The one that shows just how happy you are." he leaned over and gave him another light kiss on the neck.

"Do you still want that dessert though? It would be a shame if it were to...go to waste."

the smile widened a bit; then that kiss... Ronald shivered a bit. "i doubt it will." he said softly, shifting to expose the area that William seemed focused on a bit more to him. "vigorous repetitive activities tend to make one's appetite soar after them." he chuckled a bit. 

"-unless you mean covering me in chocolate cake and cleaning me up with your tongue, i think we should wait for the dessert till after the main course." he winked at him mischievously. 

Nearly slamming his head back William changed his mind and sighed resting his forehead into the crook of Ron's neck, rubbing his side a little bit then looked at him. "You're frustrating." he muttered softly. "And very perverted. I think you've been picking up ideas from Eric." his voice was muffled slightly from lips to skin. He was trying to return the tease, but it didn't work out so well in his mind.

Ronald blinked in confusion as Will pulled away a bit. "look who's calling the kettle black." he said softly, looking a little crestfallen. "If i'm frustrating, you're infuriating. And believe me, i was a perv before i became a Shinigami." HIs tone was a tad huffy as he got up and walked into the bedroom, flopping on the bed and sighing. 

He felt like this was a game of mouse and mouse and no one would be getting the cheese anytime soon. 

Rolling his eyes William followed him and sat beside him, reaching a hand down to rub his back in smooth up and down motions. "Stop getting huffy with each moment I pull back, honestly, is it that hard to tell that I was trying to be joking." he frowned slightly. "I'm sorry I'm not good at pitching woo." he rolled his eyes a little bit. "I haven't gone out with someone for a few good centuries."

Ronald rolled to gaze at him. "wait.. wait... did you really just... say... 'pitching woo'?" he asked, struggling to hold in his intense amusement. "maybe you should visit the harem i worked at for lessons." 

He reached up before William could reply and pulled him down to kiss him, a sweet passionate lingering one proven to reduce men and occasionally women to babbling idiots. 

William rolled his green eyes about to say something in his defense about his word choice until he felt himself being pulled down and meeting the other's lips. At first he was surprised by it but then he sighed softly through his nose, resting his hands on either side of Ronald's head, allowing himself to kiss back, slowly shutting his eyes.

Ronald pulled William down on top of him with a sudden tug, forcing the elder to land on him. For some reason his wounds didn't react and he realized something else... he felt... fine. His wounds felt like they'd healed spontaneously.. for all he knew it was true. 

The reason Dorian owed him that favor... was a secret not even Ronald remembered. in one swift movement he removed Will's jacket and tossed it, then pulled him closer and kissed him, unsure where this strength and energy was coming from, but not going to deny it. 

It was like part of his mind was going fuzzy. The sweet passion in Ronald's kiss was something he couldn't help but enjoy, he could numbly feel his arms slip from his sleeves of his jacket. 

Will was rather surprised that as frail as Ron was in his current state, that he seemed to have a lot of strength. He groaned softly and slid his fingers along his shoulders for a moment and traced them down his chest slowly. "Mm..." a soft groan came from the back of his throat.

Ronald shifted, his mood suddenly submissive as he broke the kiss, gazing up at William with that innocent look on his face like he'd suddenly sprouted a halo. "William..." he said, his voice a bit breathy and enticing, his eyes sparking like emeralds. 

".... Take me... I am yours to do with as you will." He shifted to put his arms over his head in a submissive, inviting gesture. 

"my love... my everything..."


	11. Innocence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> things are heating up at last.

Will blinked slowly he had felt in a slight daze when the kiss had ended and then once his vision cleared a little he could have sworn that the youngest was being as innocent as some kind of newborn child. What was next? He was going to sprout wings? Impossible. 

Though he gave off the voice of a tempting incubus that made his body shiver, as if his body couldn't resist him. Slowly he brought himself to rest against Ronald's front, bringing his lips to his, deep, passionate, and surprisingly full of suppressed urges that he had long since buried away. 

His fingers absently ran through the blonde tresses for a moment before tracing his fingers down, sliding along the shirt he had put on.

That kiss was full of more emotion than Ronald had ever felt from William before, and he could feel himself melting, submitting completely. Only William could make him do it. Normally Ronald was a very dominant spirit. His eyes fluttered shut and he kept his arms up, shifting a bit so he was a tad more comfortable on the bed, shivering at the touches. 

his arms sprouted goosebumps as chills ran through his body in sweet pleasurable waves. His breath came in soft pants through his nose, his lips parting invitingly to entice William, a soft adorable noise tore from him as he completely surrendered. 

The submission was something unexpected, he had known Ron to be the biggest extrovert with a huge thing for being dominant. Maybe the reverse wasn't too bad, as long as it went into a more pleasuring light. 

That noise almost made him pull back from shock but he didn't. He teased him, giving a small bite to the blond's lower lip as his hands worked to undo the shirt and expose Ronald to the stiflingly warm air.

He opened his eyes a bit and gazed up at William, shifting only a little bit. A soft noise at that little nip and he shifted his hands and wrapped them loosely around Will's neck after shuffling his fingers through that soft black hair. 

He deepened the kiss, his tongue teasing lightly at Will's lips as his eyes closed again, every touch of William's hands sent an electric pulse through him, causing him to tremble slightly. 

He blushed a bit at the tongue running across his lips, but it was something that tempted him, bringing him as close as possible, slowly, softly he brushed his own tongue along the seam of his lips, cheeks turning a soft pink. Once he had gotten the shirt free he traced his fingers along the skin.

It was surprisingly warm...a nice kind of warmth. Under his fingers he could feel Ronald's heart racing. Slowly he pulled back for a moment, sliding his mouth to the corner of his partner, to his cheekbone, then slowly down his neck.

He let his arms fall, feeling William start to explore him, the gentle touches to his heated skin and sensitive body electrified him, it felt exquisite and they were barely doing anything. 

He panted lightly, shuddering as each wave coursed through him, uncertain what was making him so perceptive, so sensitive, but he wasn't going to complain. "ahn.. W-Will... gods that feels good." he whispered softly. 

"I never thought you were so sensitive." he muttered softly as he pulled back for a moment, then reached over to gently pull Ron's marked wrist to him for a moment, then softly he placed his lips on them, glancing at him with an almost devilish look that would put even that demon butler to shame. Sliding his fingers up he entwined their fingers for a moment before continuing to kiss down his body.

He gazed up at him, his eyes hooded with lust and desire. "I-i'm us-usually not..." he managed to stammer, and then that look. that damn look drew a moan of pure desire out of Ronald and he closed his eyes. 

"ngh fuck." he whispered, squeezing his hand a bit before melting into a total puddle. "I'm starting to .... call bullshit.... on you... saying you-re ... ah... so inexPERIENCED." he panted softly. 

He looked at him, almost curious before he snorted through his nostrils, was he...chuckling? The stoic William T. Spears, who didn't take shit from no one was chuckling softly. Or at least it was a chortle. 

Then he looked down at Ronald for a long moment and then shrugged. "I may have seen some things from those cinematic records." he muttered to him. "Though some of them were rather decent in intimacy."

He gazed up at him a bit. He didn't care where it was coming from, he just wanted more. "wh-whatever you say..." he whispered, that innocent look on his face once more. "I just ... want... my lovely William-Senpai... to do naughty things to me." his tone back to that sultry inviting, mind-melting sound. 

The word 'senpai' coming from anyone else regarding William would have been laughable, but for some reason Ronald saying it seemed to make him sound almost childish and the utmost in temptation. He truly looked for a moment like an untouched clueless virgin, trusting the love of his life to deflower him. 

"S-Sen...pai?" it was as if part of his rational mind imploded and it would almost be like smoke would come out of his ears as his face turned so red he was like a cherry. His mind had indeed melted by that sweet sultry tone. 

With a soft sigh he nearly rest his hand against his face for a moment, eyeing him before something occurred, like part of his brain had snapped, all inexperience was out the window, he started to work on natural instinct, reaching down around Ron's waist and undid the button, pulling them away.

a soft giggle came from Ronald, sounding almost ethereal and even more enticing, shifting to help William rid him of his pants. He lay back and let William do as he pleased, his eyes closing once more, his body vibrating with desire, having no idea what William would do now that he'd started acting rather than thinking. 

"ahn... your touch sends fire through my veins..." he heard himself whisper, egging him on, shifting to an inviting position of vulnerablity once more, his hands reaching above his head to grasp the headboard. 

"Keep that up and you may end up unable to walk tomorrow." he muttered to him softly the voice lowered to an almost sultry level on its own. 

Will leaned over and gave him a small kiss on the lips, pausing slightly to remove his glasses so they wouldn't get hurt, he set them up on the nightstand before dragging lips down Ronald's smooth body slowly, he liked the smoothness of his skin it was nice. 

Then he glanced up at Ronald for a moment, sliding his hand into the boxers he had changed into and eyed him. "...That lubricant, do you actually have it, pet?"

that tone... that word... _pet_.... a shudder passed through his entire body, a moan tore from his lips that had nothing to do with the touches. "y-yes.." he whispered, barely able to find the words. "ever-... everythi... everything i told you.... is in there..." he stammered, finding it hard to think coherently. 

The idea of being unable to walk... was actually appealing to him. His eyes shut and his head fell back as William touched him, his entire body arching off the bed it felt so intense and amazing. "ah..!" that sound... so cute... so pure. 

It was hard to believe how innocent Ronald sounded a pure clear as a bell sound. He couldn't have committed suicide as a virgin in the human world, it wouldn't make sense with his current living style, but at the moment it was the farthest from his mind. 

Then he reached over, stretching his body over Ronald for a moment to reach into where he had the lubrication hidden, setting it beside him. His one hand worked magic stroking and jerking off Ronald's erection while his other started to remove the bits of clothing that were in the way.

the noises that tore from Ronald's vocal chords were enticing, erotic... less innocent but at the same time beautiful and glorious with every touch and stroke of William's hand. "fuck... Will... gah..." his mind was gone, his body reacting, melting, shifting, arching, writhing at the amount of pleasure just a simple hand-job shouldn't be giving him. 

It was like every part of him was on fire. "hmmmm....." he bit his lip, tossing his head to the side, not even realizing what clothing was going where, too distracted by the hand on him and the scent of William filling his nostrils. 

He swallowed a lump in his throat not expecting that tone now, it was obvious Ron was no longer part of the mental capacity. He had long since given into the temptation of pleasure. William had to pull his hand away from Ron's undergarment, his hand slightly slicked with the precum. 

Will smirked a little bit before he pulled off his shirt and his own pants. The noises had long since caused his pants to tighten, and his cock was positively throbbing. Then he slid his hands back to the waistband of Ronald's undergarment and pulled them away with ease, leaving them both bare.

Panting, trying to regain his breath and at least part of his brain as he gazed up at him with an almost glazed expression. "ah... ha.... William..." his eyes traveled over William's naked body and he shuddered. His tone was somewhere between adorable and enticing as he whispered one request. 

"..cuff me." the words lingered, almost echoing in the air of the room. "I want to be at your mercy." He shifted enticingly on the bed, letting go of the headboard to press his wrists together, holding his arms up to William.


	12. Angelic?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ya all know i suck at this part. XD

He rose an eyebrow at him for a moment and then he gave a small breath out. He groaned at the tone of voice of his words, he reached around to find the tie that had long since been tossed aside and placed it around his joined wrists, making the knot nice and tight. 

Without a word he unscrewed the container of lubricant and dipped his fingers into the cool gel, his fingers traced along Ronald's hard erection slightly, sliding the gel along it but followed the tender path to his backside, rubbing the pad of his finger to the entrance.

letting out a soft moan as he was tied, he relaxed onto the bed, his eyes closing, hands falling to rest over his head; listening to William unscrew the jar. he jerked slightly when those fingers hit him, trembling and gasping, pleasure shooting through him in sharp waves that made him moan and whimper, biting back a cry of pleasure as William's fingers reached their target, shifting a bit on the bed to give him easier access.

"ahn... mnhhg." his heart was racing, he was a puddle of desire and lust and adoration, showing his devotion and trust by letting himself be tied, wanting more, wanting to be claimed entirely by the elder that teased him and made him want to submit his entire being to him. 

His cheeks were stained very red and he was biting down slightly on his lower lip or a moment. He couldn't believe that Ronald was becoming such a submissive young man. It was getting harder to control himself. 

Slowly his finger pressed in, dull nail scraping slightly against the hot sensation of the other's walls. Shit, was that what the internal temperature of a body was? Not that he was knowledgeable in that, but the fact it was so warm had thrown him off, but he started to pump that finger in and out, stretching and prepping him.

"only you.." he mumbled as if he could read William's thoughts when there was a slight pause. Then suddenly his entire body nearly arched off the bed as electric pure pleasure shot through him. 

A cry of bliss tore from him, he bit his lip to try and stifle himself at least a little. Fucking hell it was only his finger... he had no idea why he was so sensitive, but he didn't rightly care. William's name on his lips as he writhed under the prep-work, almost ready to beg him to just stop and take him now, but not able to find the words. 

He sighed looking down at Ronald, his body wasn't really able to take much more of this ridiculous thoughts of prep work. He was overwhelmed with the urge to just push himself int Ronald and deflower the boy underneath of him without a second thought. 

Taking a breath he suddenly pulled his finger out, unable to really control himself anymore with that cry of bliss. He steadied himself for a moment then he pressed himself slowly through the tight ring of muscles, at least enough for the tip to squeeze in.

he relaxed entirely at the removal of the finger, his body shuddering. Then that feeling... his eyes flew open and he let out a loud unintentional cry of absolute bliss and ecstasy as he felt William's hot erect rod begin to penetrate him, his back arching, his fists clenching as he forced himself to remain relaxed. It didn't hurt, it felt wonderful. 

he was panting and writhing under him already and it'd barely started, his entire body even more sensitive and on fire, practically glowing. He unconsciously shifted and pressed down, shoving more of him inside, absently desperate to be filled up and owned by the ravenet. He was almost past sound at this point, his voice and breath catching in his throat. 

"Lost your voice Ronald?" he finally asked when he caught his breath, body shuddering, his hands gripped Ronald's hips slightly, almost tight. "Mn..." he groaned softly when he looked down at him. Wondering if the glow was a mere trick of the light due to sweat or something. He shook it off for a moment and let Ronald get adjusted to his body.

He was panting, every slight movement sent his nerves off making his body sing with pleasure. He finally found his voice. "f-for a moment...." then his eyes fell to half-lidded seduction again and he whispered "... Senpai." 

It almost seemed as if Ronald was two people at that moment, one of them enticing and sexual, the other innocent and loving, both of them at Will's mercy eagerly. "ahn..." he shifted, a soft nod to tell William he was fine and to continue. "You feel so good.... Filling me up.." his tone breathy now. Ronald had many facets to him it would seem.

He wasn't sure if he was enjoying the fact it felt as if Ron was going through two different phases of a personality. However, his mind was hazy so he was kind of putting back his rational thinking, he was concentrating on the pleasure he was giving Ronald. He grunted softly when he was suddenly turning eager and that nod to continue. He pushed in further groaning softly and clenching his fists slightly. "Shit...tight..." he muttered.

He moaned, writhing as William pierced him further, further... till he was fully sheathed. "oh gods..." his hands twisting in the tie that held them, panting and gazing up at him. "more... nh... William... make me yours." he heard himself beg. "dominate me... make me scream" 

he wasn't sure where the words were coming from, other than his own mouth. He watched him intensely, loving every second of this bliss, his body jerking with each pulse of pleasure that shot through him, which turned out to be more often than he was used to. He could feel every throb of Will's member deep inside him, almost like a heartbeat. 

Raising an eyebrow he listened to him beg. For a moment he wasn't sure but he shook off the insecurity and started to thrust into him, at first it was slow, but as it went on he began to thrust harder, and faster. He unconsciously brushed against his sweet spot, his jaw tightened he groaned deep in his throat. Nails scraped into the sheets by Ron's waist, breathing becoming ragged like a beast.

with the first thrust Ronald arched and moaned loudly, second, and third, he cried out, by the time William had brushed his prostate he was fully screaming, writhing on the bed, Somehow he managed to speak through it all, crying out for William to touch him; crying Williams name in general, till even that was lost and he was gasping for breath but not caring, pleasure shocking through him in waves getting more intense by the second.

he couldn't see, soon he lost his voice, he was aware of something soft suddenly appearing on his back, stretching out on either side of him, ethereal wings wreathed in white feathers that would seem almost a hallucination to anyone looking, including William. 

William's vision was swimming, and he wasn't sure if he was seeing things or he was just being short sighted without his glasses. He blinked several times he thought he saw something almost angelic, but he shook his head several times. He was certainly seeing things, it just had to with his exhaustion. It had to be. After regaining some composure he continued trying to get that innocent vision out of his head, otherwise, he'd be committing a great sin.


	13. Ronald's Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After their intense session of lovemaking, Ronald begins to recount his life as a human.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so i'm aware that 
> 
> 1: this chapter is posted late (sorry)  
> &  
> 2: the story Ronnie tells about his former life is mostly my thoughts and ideas.
> 
> Thanks for reading and enjoying this story. i know me and my co-author are having a blast writing it.

The orgasm hit him like a truck blindside, with how sensitive he was and how intense the feeling in the air was, Ronald found his voice for the first time in about five minutes and let out an earth-shattering scream of pure bliss as his body pretty much levitated off the bed, taking William with him somehow as he climaxed, shuddering as the sensation lasted far longer than normal. 

William suddenly came back to his senses with that earth-shattering scream. The odd sensation of being off the surface of the bed made him look around for a moment until he really noticed what was going on. Or at least it was what he thought was true. "Ronald?" he finally asked, stopping for a moment, unable to continue until he was sure that it was just some kind of mere hallucination. This was the oddest thing he had ever seen. 

Coming down from the white oblivious bliss that he'd found himself in, Ronald's eyes blinked and suddenly the wings were gone and they fell to the bed, a lone feather drifting down to land on the edge of the bed. "y-yeah?" he asked, his voice raw and shaking, He was covered in sweat and every bit of him was red or trembling, or covered in his own seed. 

"I-I'm fine... Will... you haven't... yet... I'm still good to keep going." He wasn't lying. Ronald had the endurance and libido to literally go all night if he wanted. He was panting, but his eyes were back to emerald orbs of love and adoration, apparently clueless as to the transformation that had occurred. 

He stared for a long moment then he let out a soft sigh and leaned down to give him a kiss on the lips. For now he brushed the idea out of his head. He continued his movements again, for now it was not the time to question what probably happened, instead this was something he needed to do to finish off. He groaned softly, his fingers stroked Ronald's sensitive cock, stroking it a little even if he just came. He was soon close himself.

Falling back into bliss, but not so much as before, Ronald was soon moaning and crying out again as William continued, panting and writhing, still aware of himself and feeling that climax rising once more, this time sensing it coming as he shoved it back, wanting to climax with William. "Ah..William!" he cried as the ravenet slammed into his prostate, making him see stars. "yes!... ngh... don't stop!" 

He let out a breathy sort of chuckle, but his breathing was becoming sharp and labored as he thrust in harder, faster, his pace speeding up after every minute or so, slowing once in a while in order to tease Ronald's body just a little bit. 

However, the coil in the pit of his stomach was tightening painfully almost to a point of near explosion, his toes curled slightly in the sheets. It wasn't until he was seeing white did he let out a cry or a grunt of pleasure of release, spilling his essence into Ronald's body.

He felt the fire hot release of Will's fiery seed deep into his body and let out a loud screech as he climaxed with him, not nearly the earth-shattering scream as before, but equally satisfying. His orgasm lasted almost as long as before, though they didn't levitate of the bed this time. He tugged on the bonds that held his wrists, jerking a bit as his own nectar covered them both for the second time, his chest heaving as the orgasm subsided and his vision cleared once more. 

Gazing up to William, blushing slightly, biting his lip he somehow managed to still look adorably innocent despite the fact that he'd just been screaming his head off at Will's mercy for the past hour. "..... I haven't had sex this good since i was human..." he panted softly. True to his own memory, but he'd had one other event that had caused such a reaction out of him once before. It was just blocked from his conscious mind. 

He panted, sweat rolled down his back a little as he calmed down to feel how cool it made his skin he gave a small little shiver then looked at the still innocent look of Ronald after all that he had gone through. He was finding it steadily impossible to think that he was like that on a regular basis. Then he took a breath and sighed softly, looking down at him. "So, you did have sex in your old life, huh?"

He blushed as his breathing calmed down. ".... that's a tad bit of an understatement." he said softly. "No one's ever asked me about my old life... I'm one of the few that doesn't mind talking about it." he admitted. "I think everyone else either blocks it out or ignores it, but in my opinion, we'd be nothing without our old selves. We wouldn't exist as Shinigami now if it weren't for our lives as humans, especially our mistakes." He made a good point. 

He sighed breathing out through his nose slowly. "I suppose you make a good point on that one." he muttered softly and reached back to pull some dark strands out of his eyes. His body slowly pulling back and away from Ronald, cheeks dyed a very deep red color. "Never thought you would be so knowledgeable."

He looked up at him, shivering softly as he felt him pull out, suddenly feeling strangely empty. ".... It's common sense really... I'm sure deep down everyone knows it... they just don't want to say it out loud. Then it becomes real, and something they have to deal with." He shifted his wrists. 

"If you want to have a decent talk, come lay beside me and untie my hands." he said with a soft lilting tone. "I'll tell you about myself... my past... and if you feel comfortable sharing, you can return the favor. Anything you tell me would be in strict confidence." His gaze drifted to the feather on the bed and he looked puzzled for a moment but shrugged it off, figuring it didn't' matter at the moment. 

Will's hand reached over and brushed away the avian feather before he reached over to pull away the tie he used just as easily as the one that had been around Ron's wrist the first time he had been in that beaten up mess. Before he knew it he was laying beside the blond, tossing the piece of fabric away and letting his body come to a calming rest at his side, his green reaper eyes watching him.

He shifted his hands a bit, shaking them out as he grabbed for the sheet, scrubbing himself at least halfway clean of the mess he'd made of himself... he supposed another shower was in order, but then he settled and shifted, turning to face William. "...heh... that didn't take much." he said. 

He was glad William was interested... very glad. "My earliest memories are foggy, probably from when i was about ten...maybe eleven... I remember nuns and lots of yelling, pain... being caned... The first time i nearly died was at that horrid place... i was beaten almost to death by one of the priests who thought i was possessed... I felt the brush of something soft when i was drawn towards the light... i heard a voice telling me something i can't quite recall... but i was yanked back down into my body and soon after, i ran from the place... I think it was an orphanage." 

he paused for a moment, closing his eyes, laying back and reliving it a bit. "From then on I lived on the streets. I ganged up with some other street rats and learned to do anything to get by. Anything. By the time i was fourteen i was selling myself on the street corners... I never delved into drugs the way the others did... not really. I think for a while there i became addicted to sex... that rush of pleasure was the only thing that made me feel alive... and soon enough i got bored with it... I was nineteen i think when i... well... decided to kill myself... took me two years to actually work up the courage to do it." 

"...I saved some money and did something less than glorious... i ODed on some form of concoction in the form of a pressed tablet... to this day not quite sure what it actually was." he shook his head. "I heard that voice again, calling me to this life... i vaguely remember my back hurting... then i woke up in the gutters of the Shinigami world... I first thought that i would have to live it all over again... Till i saw that red hair, and that hand that reached out to me." 

"...Grell may be a blind over-dramatic idiot... but he's got a kind streak. He brought me to the Libraries... I don't know if he was ordered to or if he just did it for no reason... but i never looked back." He shook his head. 

William listened, if he was anything he was a patient listener. He wasn't the kind to get in a rush unless there was some form of paper that was supposed to be due in the next few hours, which this was not the case luckily. 

"I suppose that pressed tablet could have been an early form of opium. If taken a lot of, it could kill a person..." he muttered more to himself than anything, absently scratching at the back of his head then he heard the part about Grell. "Maybe he is, and I probably punish him too harshly sometimes..." he then looked at Ron. "You don't regret huh?"

"Not really. I had a purpose at last." Ronald said with a soft shrug and a sigh. "I never had a real job when i was human, never had a reason to live... You gave me that." a sudden flash and his eyes flew open. "And then there was that stormy night four years ago..." he said softly. "The portal for some reason wouldn't let me return to the Libraries after my work was done..." He bit his lip. "That's when i met him." 

He pondered that last thought with a frown. Usually portals were to be opened on a regular basis so Shinigami could go to and from work after their missions were complete. To not have them to work was something that shouldn't happen, not usually. He frowned slightly and looked down at Ronald with his still gaze. "You met Dorian that night?"


	14. Reminiscing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the past sometimes comes back to haunt you unconsciously....

He nodded. "Yes. He knew me... I don't know how but he did. He let me stay with him...all i know about it is that we were in a mansion of some sort... We drank a bit... everything gets fuzzy from there... I don't remember where the place is... i think that's his doing... but I remember blood... screaming.... a fight... I remember someone sounding pathetic begging for his life... Then it fades... and i remember nothing until i woke the next morning in a hotel bed, a note on the pillow next to me, all it said was 'I owe you my life. If ever you are in need of a favor, you may call on Dorian Gray.' ..." 

he bit his lip. "I didn't really think much of it at the time... I didn't dig too deep. I was too obsessed with getting back and getting you my paperwork...For some reason the portal worked after that. I haven't had a problem since. But... There's something i think that triggered that memory just now..." he said quietly. 

Will looked at him and then sighed softly resting his chin on his hand for a moment. "Something doesn't sound right." he muttered softly and gazed at the ceiling for a moment. "That weird sense of how it just so happened the portal shut and it opened the next time you came around." he muttered. "It's too much to be a coincidence, I think he was targeting you."

"I honestly didn't do any digging because i didn't remember any of it .... not till i saw that feather on the bed. William... Where did it come from?" He shifted. "And i don't think Dorian was targeting me.. No mere Shinigami former or current can just turn off a portal, Will, and well you know it." 

he sat up and saw the feather on the floor. He bent over and grabbed it. "William... Where did this come from?" he asked again. A faint shimmer in the sweat marks on the bed from where he'd been laying, and on Ronald's back. the beads of sweat made a pattern that otherwise would be invisible. 

Will shrugged a little. "I'm not sure myself. I mean I was seeing and felt some odd things. It was almost like you were some kind of odd angelic being which in my opinion is impossible, it could've been in my head. or a feather you may have accidentally tore out of the bed." then he paused and looked at the bed curiously for a moment, squinting slightly since it was slightly hard to see without his glasses. "...What's that?" he muttered to himself.

Ronald looked at him. "William..." his heart was suddenly pounding. "If anything about that morning is still clear in my memory... it's that there was an identical feather on my bed that morning." There's no way he could have torn a feather out of the bed. "My hands were tied up, Will.. i couldn't do anything when we were making love." Something whispered in his head and he just sat there staring at the feather. "Something tells me we're going to find out about more than just the Thorns tomorrow." Ronald whispered. 

With a soft sigh, William moved over and pulled Ronald close to his body, the first really romantic gesture he did on his own. Fingers lifted for a brief moment to stroke through his hair. "We will have to find out. So we are going out tomorrow?" he asked Ronald in order to be sure, so he could sign up for some sudden time off accordingly to the libraries. Just because he was in love didn't mean he'd break the rules that easily.

"yeah.." Ronald nodded absently as he leaned into that sweet gesture; it wasn't lost on him he was just distracted, his gaze locked onto the feather he was slowly spinning in his hand by the shaft of it. "Why am i suddenly scared..." he whispered. "Facing the Thorns... i can do that... but... these blanks in my memory... the voices... this.." he gestured with the feather. He wasn't sure what to make of it all. 

Closing his eyes for a moment, William sighed and then rest his chin on the shorter member's head lightly, petting the top of his head again then he opened his eyes to look out the window. "We'll find out. Perhaps together." he muttered softly as he thought about it. Dorian for all he knew would probably want to see Ron alone for this when it came to it in the end. He didn't plan on it unless he threatened Ron with bodily harm or otherwise. "...You're going to be fine..." he tried to sound reassuring.

He forced himself to snap out of it, at least partially, and shifted, swiftly stealing a kiss from the elder ravenet. "Well, I told you my story... Will you tell me yours, or would you prefer to remain a mystery for the moment?" he asked cautiously, nuzzling nipping at his loves' collarbone and nuzzling his chest. "Or we could always go for round two." It seemed that he was still, to some degree, a sex addict in some ways. 

William sighed softly as he stroked his shoulder letting Ronald give him that kiss and didn't mind the nipping and nuzzling. He reminded him of a cat. An orange tabby probably or at least a very rare male calico cat. He settled himself on the bed comfortably. "Unfortunately my past story isn't as immaculate as yours." he muttered softly.

He stifled a snort, uncertain if Will was joking with that comment or not. "immaculate?" he muttered derisively as he arranged himself across Will's lap with ease, like the cat William absently pegged him for. "I'm all ears, my love." he said with a soft smile, gazing up at him. He was very curious about Will's past.

"Well...it's hard to not expect, but I was that...er...very well raised child." he muttered softly to him and rubbed the back of his neck for a moment though he was surprised that Ron had arranged himself in that comfortable manner in his lap before taking a breath and patting his side. 

"I was raised, knowing what my job was to be. To be that accountant like my father, running the business. Once I went through university, I went to work my life. That's when I met that someone who I didn't realize would actually break my heart at the end." he paused for a moment trying to think of a name, a face, but he couldn't see it or remember. 

"We had a happy relationship, or so I thought, but I never realized her...nightly runarounds with other gentlemen. Apparently I wasn't enough. I was just that man that could give her a possible wealthy lifestyle. It wasn't until I caught them in the act..." he paused eyebrow twitching for a moment. "...I saw red. Couldn't remember a thing. Or what happened. I may have severely injured her plaything."

Ronald was quiet, nuzzling and resting up against him. Nothing he heard surprised him. He'd seen people with that sort of life... but they never looked happy. He'd stolen from a few of them, actually. "I don't blame you..." he mumbled, remembering how he'd felt just twenty-four hours prior. 

His fingers tightened around him a little bit as he rubbed Ronald's sides gently for a moment before he continued. "It felt like the life I had, the one I had planned to start, it all went to hell in a hand-basket. The world around me felt numb and dark, and cold. I didn't socialize anymore. I just buried myself in work and drink. I would sometimes be stone drunk, not wake up until noon. But then one day, during a drunken mental tirade...I couldn't take it, after reflecting on it. The next thing I know, I took out that pistol...and...well...I ended up here..." he muttered.

Ronald could tell easily that it was quite difficult for William to talk about it, so he made use of himself, nuzzling him and cuddling him, not to distract himself or William, but in comforting ways. "Is there anything else?" he asked softly, unsure if he was done or not. He was honored that William would share the story at all with him. He watched him with unwavering emerald orbs that held no less respect or love than they had before he'd begun talking. 

William shook his head a little. "There's not much to say except I went to train as a Shinigami and passed with a B average." he shrugged a little. "Surprisingly Grell passed with an odd A average, but I suppose his talents must be good for something." he didn't say what as he reached for his glasses then put them on to stare down at Ronald. "...Any other questions?" he asked softly.

"yeah." he said with a smirk. "did you enjoy our lovemaking session?" he stole a kiss and shifted to slide his arms around him. "because obviously I did." he hugged him close and then let go and got up out of William's arms. "want to shower with me?" he asked, taking off the bandages. What were red ugly wounds so short a while ago was now perfect, unmarked pink skin. 

William blinked a little bit and then the answer fell from his mouth, he lost it. Staring at what was now completely porcelain and pink again, not even a sign of scarring. He frowned slightly and then looked him over. "I did...like it, but what happened to your injuries? It looks to me they healed all on their own..." to say he was dumbstruck would be an understatement, it was true.

Ronald blinked, having almost forgotten. "eh?" he looked at where the wounds would have been. "well I'll be damned." He shrugged. "I've always been a fast healer, I'll admit... but I've never had wounds just vanish before..." He shrugged. "eh. No matter. Shower, William?" he asked, walking towards the bathroom with an almost exaggerated sway to his hips. 

Blinking slowly he watched the sway of those hips, skinny ones, but he couldn't complain. He shrugged and got off the bed, walking over to Ronald's side and placing an arm lightly around his waist for a moment. "...I think I still have hold of that old ring I was going to give to her." he decided to admit to him in confidence. He didn't say or couldn't remember how much money the ring cost, but it was still pretty last he checked.

he stopped dead when he heard the word 'ring' come out of Will's mouth. He was surprisingly silent for a few minutes before managing to pull himself out of it, thinking rationally that William couldn't possibly be proposing to him and that he was being stupid. "that's interesting.." he finally managed, trying not to make his voice a strangled squeak. To his own ears he'd sounded relatively normal and nonchalant, but gods knew how he actually sounded. "..I don't' think I've heard of a Shinigami actually managing to keep a piece of their old life before." 

"It was in my pocket." he shrugged. "You know before the suit." he sighed as they walked their way to the bathroom. Once they were in there he released Ron's waist and gave him a small smirk. "So tell me do you prefer a bath or a shower?" he asked curiously resting an arm behind his back as he eyed the blond for a long moment. Curious about the habits.

"depends on the day and how tired I am." he said honestly. "I've fallen asleep in both so i guess it doesn't really matter. You?" well now the thought was in his damn head and he was thinking about rings and weddings and at the same time calling himself a complete moron about it since he wasn't even sure he'd live past tomorrow. Something told him he would, though. 

He gazed at William, a silent question in his eyes, one he didn't dare voice out loud. He shifted into the bathroom and figured it'd be ridiculous to propose now anyway, they were both naked and covered in dried sweat and the aftermath of sex... it wouldn't be very romantic and despite his normal carefree attitude, Ronald was deeply romantic. 

"Me? Hotter than Satan's backside showers." Will tried to give him a bit of joke, some humor as he reached over to turn on the water in the tub, he would turn it over to a shower if Ronald wanted to. "I remember there were times in my teenage life, I would have vanilla oil in it with rose petals...you can imagine how spoiled I really was..." he looked almost ashamed of his past.

He shifted and kissed William's shoulder gently. "we can have a bath if you desire... you're after all, a guest. It's not like we're living together yet or anything." he blushed. Shit the 'yet' had slipped in there without him noticing. 

"sorry... i didn't mean to..." he stammered, turning to the counter. "And don't worry about it... I have some nice bath salts i like to use... It's fine that you grew up spoiled." he grinned into the mirror. "I might've fleeced ya once or twice if we lived in the same city." he said. Then a more somber expression. "or as they say... the richer you are, the harder you fall." 

"Yes, yes..." he muttered at the old adage. "But I learned from what I did wrong. Do not trust those with a wandering eye." he told Ronald as he walked over to a cupboard in the bathroom to pull down a glass jar of the bath salts. "I can't remember a lot from the past, just the pieces. Unfortunately, it's against the rules for us to really see our cinematic records. Eric got to see them because he was forced to." he paused as he poured some of the salt into his open palm. "I am not sure if the rule is still in place yet or not to have reapers access to their records now."

He glanced at him. "William..." he said quietly. "What was Dorian like... I know you at least met him briefly before he and Undertaker left the Libraries..." he watched the water pouring into the tub. He wasn't interested in seeing a full film of his old life... he remembered enough of it. What was confusing him now... would likely not be seen on either the cinematic record of his old life, or eclipsed from the records of this one. He didn't know how he knew that... it was just a hunch. "You're thinking about trying to find out what happened that night with Dorian, right?" he said calmly. 

"Let's see..." he muttered as the tub filled slowly and then placed his palm over the water to let the salts sprinkle into the hot water which was already rising with steam. "Dorian was...odd to say the least. He was proficient like Undertaker...but I always had a feeling that he was playing for another side, possibly his own. However, I cannot remember completely. I just know he disappeared for long moments and when he retired he seemed to vanish off the face of the earth."

"That doesn't answer my other question" he murmured softly as the ethereal smell of the salts began to fill the room along with the steam. He pondered what William had said as he shifted and stepped into the tub; which was surprisingly large enough to fit more than one person. He sank into the water and closed his eyes. 

"Dorian Gray... master of poison... like Undertaker, experimented on himself.... he defected from the libraries shortly before Undertaker left... Rumor has speculated that he left before they could figure out that he was also experimenting on other Shinigami... other rumors speculated that it was becuase he left that Undertaker snapped and left, trying to find him... when he failed... he set up a butcher shop in London, in the hopes that one day Dorian would return to him." he was recalling reports that could easily be found in the Shinigami records. Common knowledge. 

"Ah, that's right..." Will muttered. He watched Ronald for a moment then sighed. "I must have forgotten the most common sort of thing." he almost looked embarrassed because he should have known better than to answer with that. But he was usually buried up to his ears in paperwork that old documents never seemed to matter to him. He sighed before lightly nudging Ronald and got in to settle with him after turning off the water.

"Now answer me." he said calmly after William settled into the bath with him. "You want to find out if the night i spent with Dorian is in my cinematic records." he said, his voice calm and easygoing. He closed his eyes as he waited for an answer, breathing in the calming minty mist that was drifting off the water, just letting himself relax after their earlier activities. He shifted and leaned against William. 

William stared out ahead of himself for a moment then rest his hands lightly against his shoulders. "I would like to, but I would rather take the book with me to sync up any details he may probably prance around." he rolled his eyes. "Cause men like him will probably lie and say nothing happened. You said your memory went blank aside from screaming. If I were to look for that spot, it may be blank or blacked out."

"you want to look for it anyway." he said, glancing at him; then he chuckled. "just on the off chance that it's there. I know you, William." He sighed and nuzzled him, then reached for a cloth and got it wet, then drizzled some soap onto it. He rubbed it at Will's shoulder, offering silently to wash him as a sign of his doting, not like William couldn't do it himself. He didn't know what Dorian knew... for all he knew Dorian remembered nothing as well.


	15. Apprehension

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The two new lovers prepare for the worst.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry i was late again! so much going on around here. BUT i now have up to chapter 20 prepared to post so back to schedule hopefully!

William Sighed and closed his eyes to let his chin rest against Ronald's shoulder, leaning against him comfortably, he was allowing the doting as he thought over his response. "Yes, but I don't want you to think I'm trying to invade into your private affairs, after all, they are your memories, not mine. So...whether or not I get permission to look through them is up to you." 

Will took in a deep breath of the minty scented mist, not surprised by the childish taste. "Whatever happens, I just wish to be able to help."

Ronald was silent for a few moments. "I want to know too." he said at last, continuing to gently wash William with the cloth. "So if you're to dig, i want to see it. I want to be with you. But like hell am i going to deny you. I've been living without knowing for so long... Now that i remember pieces of that night... it's going to drive me crazy." 

he sighed. "So it'll have to wait... till after we see Dorian tomorrow." he said. He knew William wanted to be able to think past the meeting tomorrow. Ronald was suddenly able to see past the meeting. See past the Thorns. See into the future. He hoped it wasn't just a sudden bravado. He wasn't ready to die. 

William looked at Ronald then gave him a soft kiss against his cheek. "Mm..." he closed his eyes briefly before opening them to look at the blond in front of him. "Then let it wait until tomorrow, it's probably best we don't think on it. It may get you anxious and you may not think straight..." he pet the others arm lightly giving a small squeeze to the lean muscle that he did have.

He set down the cloth, having cleaned Will's back and shoulders and chest, then nuzzled him gently. "I'm thinking straighter than i ever have, Will." he said with a soft smile. "I'm ready to fight and win, and if Dorian has a brain in his head he'll help me. I know it." he said firmly. 

"And once we're through the Thorns, we'll find out what else is going on. Together." He leaned back in the tub and ducked his head under the water, letting it wash over him and warm his face, sweep his hair a bit. He came back up and wiped his eyes, shaking the hair from his face. "I promised you, after all." he said with a smile. 

"That's right." he muttered and slowly reached a hand forward to stroke some of the wet strands out of his hair and gave him a ghost of a smile. "What kind of shampoo do you usually use? Special treatment for that two toned look of yours?" he was attempting to tease him though he wasn't all that good at it.

He pointed. "it's nothin special." he said. "but i do an extra conditioning just to keep it soft." Two bottles next to the body wash he'd used on William. "hey now." he said sternly. "if my spirits are to be kept up, you must not force your own smiles. I want to see real ones... or I'll make it my personal goal to discover every point on your body that is ticklish." 

"Ah, so that's how you do it." he looked at him for a moment he always wondered how he got to the point to have Grell soft hair. Not that he touched Grell's hair affectionately there were points he had no damn choice in the matter. Then he looked at Ronald in surprise about the last portion of his speech. "Smile..." he muttered softly. "I haven't done such a thing in a while, and you wouldn't dare torture your superior, now would you?"

He giggled. "William, we're naked and in the bath together. I think pulling rank right now is just a desperate attempt to get me to not tickle you." he said mischievously. "We're not in the Libraries right now, my love." He shifted to brush a hand up Will's side teasingly. "So smile or I'll touch you till you do." He looked divinely devilish in the steam; not so angelic anymore, but rather adorable. "I know you can smile, Will. If the one you love can't get it out of you, by the gods who can?" he asked. 

He twitched, or rather his eyebrow did his facial expression remained neutral for the moment but he eyed that devilish look on the younger's face. How could someone flip switches so easily? The first moment he had been innocent and almost angelic, practically sprouting wings, but now it's like he backpedaled to be a devil. He smirked and chuckled. "You have such odd moods."

He smirked back. "it keeps things interesting, doesn't it." he retorted lightly, leaning against William. "now are you going to wash my hair or do i have to tickle that out of you too?" he purred softly as he shifted and turned his back to William, leaning back a bit to gaze up at the elder male, stealing a kiss. 

"Don't get so spoiled now." he lightly pressed the tip of his finger to the others nose lightly before pulling over the bottles, taking the clearer one and poured some onto his hand. He lathered it up then started to run his fingers through Ron's hair, rubbing into the scalp, working to get whatever gunk he had gotten during his depression, out. A clean reaper was a happy reaper. Usually.

He sighed softly, those touches soothing and making him melt a bit. Ronald seemed to like mint, for that was the main scent permeating the bath and now his hair. "Ah, but I'm always this pert." he said absently. "you just never notice because you're so focused on your work." He closed his eyes. "I showered so fast earlier i think i forgot to wash my hair.. that feels divine.." he heard himself moan slightly and blushed a bit, biting his lip. 

"I'm usually very thorough." he told him simply, lightly his nails dug into the scalp, not too hard to draw anything or hurt, but enough to bring his fingers through, pulling away any wax or dandruff that was probably clinging to his roots. "Normally most do not know this tactic called scrubbing." he rolled his eyes for a moment, always a stickler for perfection. Soon he pulled his hands away. "You have a thing for mint apparently."

"i could barely do that." Ronald admitted softly. "it hurt so bad..." he hummed a bit as William continued his treatment...his scalp was tingling. "yeah... it's relaxing after a long day's work of blood and torment." he said. "clears my head and relaxes my body. Can't you feel the tingle?" he asked. "the body wash has spearmint in it. It opens up the pores and relaxes muscles." He blushed and chuckled. "gods can i get any more gay?" he joked lightly. 

"Feel better?" he asked him curiously before he lightly picked up a dish and dumped water over the blond's head unceremoniously and then set it aside. "You sound like you could run a resort or some kind of Chinese Massage Parlor...but that last one is a bit more sexual than relaxing." he looked at Ronald. "Do you feel better after that though? Cleaner, perhaps."

He sputtered as the water splashed over him and sat up, a flush to his cheeks and a smile on his face. "you forgot the conditioner." he said with a chuckle, reaching for it. "but yeah... i do." he turned to face William, working the conditioner into his hair and letting it sit there as he sat back. "I like to feel refreshed after a long day's work. It's how i can keep a smile on my face and go out and party after I've torn apart people's families all day." a touch of bitterness at the end there. He shrugged. "as they say, the show must go on." he grabbed the cloth to start washing himself and the body wash. "we should probably get out of here and get to sleep. I want to be fresh to face Dorian tomorrow." he said as he heard the clock chime to ten o'clock. 

Nodding he reached over and rubbed the base of Ronald's neck, humming a low tune. Then he paused when he heard the clock chime and sighed pulling his hand away. "Probably. I didn't realize it was the time already." he pulled himself away a little, was he...disappointed? William T. Spears was actually disappointed because he couldn't give Ronald attention. At least maybe.

He dove under the water and scrubbed the conditioner from his hair and then sat up, flinging water everywhere as he threw his head back, shaking the water from his hair. He put some body wash on the cloth as he saw the expression on Will's face, chuckling a bit and handing him the cloth. "here." he said softly with a smile. "you can dote on me a bit longer... and if you wish... you can sleep on the bed with me instead of a chair in the living room." he could pretty much sense William wanted to touch him some more. 

Raising an eyebrow he looked away, trying to not act like a pouting child. Then he took the towel in his hand and started to lightly run it across Ronald's to his opinion, delicate skin. Again, William was a thorough person, working on getting into the more hard to reach spots with the cloth. He placed a small kiss behind his ear. "I wouldn't mind sharing the bed...again."

Those words pretty much in his ear sent a shiver down his spine and he had to shove away an almost instant-reaction arousal. He melted a bit into the others arms as he continued to clean him. Almost too soon it was over and he sighed. "i should pull the plug." he said softly, glancing to William, stealing a kiss and doing just that, standing up as the water began to deplete. 

He reached for a towel and offered it to William before getting his own. "W-we" he paused and cleared his throat, seeing William dripping wet like that made him weak at the knees. He tried again. "we should probably stop by your place to get a change of clothing on our way out tomorrow." he managed, if only because he was not looking at William when he said it. 

He had only given him a brief kiss back before he got out of the tub himself, reaching out he picked up the towel and started to dry his hair. "I planned on it. I also planned on stopping by the libraries, make sure Alan can handle it for the time while we're away. I don't trust Grell with it." he shook his head a little. "If I did he'd probably cover everything in red..."

He nodded, biting his lip as he started to dry off. "Alan can handle just about anything lately." he agreed softly, though if he was honest he'd love to have the brunet with them, if only for his experience with the Thorns. He glanced to his wrist for a moment before shaking it off and sighing. "I hope you don't think me weak if i take something to help me sleep." he said quietly, grabbing a pair of shorts and then digging around a bit. "here i think these should fit you. they're too big for me." he said, offering a pair of shorts to William so he wouldn't have to sleep in his own clothes again. 

"Taking what? Some kind of drugs?" he asked as he pulled over the shorts and looked at them for a moment. Then he gave a shrug for a moment and started to pull them on. They were a bit on the tight side, but they didn't hurt when he bent and twisted, so he could sleep in them. Nodding with approval he walked over to Ronald and rest his hands on the others shoulders. "You sure you need that stuff to sleep?"

"tonight i do." Ronald said quietly. "It's just a mild sedative. I got it from the hospital when they diagnosed me... It was Alan's suggestion. I wasn't going to take them at all but... All things considered, I want to actually sleep tonight, not stare at the wall." 

he looked into William's eyes. "As comforting as your touch is, my brain likes to wander... And I'll probably eventually start panicking if i don't soothe it." He didn't want to wake in the middle of the night. He wanted to sleep. He pulled open the drawer that had held the lubrication earlier and held out a bottle to William. "see? It's nothing bad. I promise." He hated pills, if he was honest. For good reason. 

Reaching over he picked up the pill bottle and turned it over in his hand twice after reading it through. Most pharmacies that provided these days usually put what was in it, possible side effects and whatnot. He sighed and nodded passing them back over. "Alright." he finally agreed though reluctantly. "As long as you trust it. I'll allow it just for tonight."

"Trust me, William... I hate pills." he said as he opened the bottle and let one fall out. "This won't become routine." He went into the kitchen, letting William get the bed in order after their little love session earlier and grabbed a piece of bread and a glass of water. He stared at the small oblong white pill in his hand in disgust, flashing briefly back to the last time he'd taken one; it'd been larger, that was for certain, but still... He sighed and took the foul thing, chasing it with an entire glass of water and walked back into the bedroom, taking a bite out of the small piece of bread. 

William had straightened the bed out perhaps a little too well. It was nice and neat and the messy sheets were put into a pile nearby. He had placed the blankets on and was settled on top of them, waiting for Ronald's return. Now that he was actually comfortable he just wish he had packed up a book in order for him to come into complete sense of relaxing, but then again he had the blond who would soon join him, so perhaps he would do without.

He paused when he saw William perched on the bed and then smiled, shaking his head as he went and climbed up next to him, kissing him sweetly. "damn i love you." he said softly as he settled down and lay beside him. "do you mind getting the light?" he said as his head hit the pillow. He was starting to feel drowsy. the pill was beginning to work. 

"mmn Will... you're everything i thought you would be behind the paperwork." he murmured as his eyes shut. "such a sweet, caring man... I'm glad you decided to show me this side of you. I feel like it's a beautiful secret we can share." he yawned. "just the...two of us..." and then he was out, sleeping peacefully.


	16. On The Way To Dorian Gray

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to go, nearing the moment of truth, everyone is scared.

William had let himself relax at a full rest as he glanced at Ronald when he entered the room, explaining how much he loved him and smiled a little bit in fondness. It was a shame that he had missed it. Then slowly he snuggled close to the blonde, giving him a gentle kiss at the top of his head before he too fell asleep. 

It had only felt like mere minutes before the morning bell started to ring and William groaned as he stirred. He took a moment to gather himself then blinked slowly getting out of bed to pet Ronald's head gently, he started to find his clothes so he could wear them, before he got his new pair at his home.

Ronald woke slowly, feeling William no longer beside him brought him to full wakefulness in a few moments. He sat up and stretched, rubbing his eyes as he watched William dig for his clothes. He shifted and got up, shuffling past William without a word to go to the kitchen. He grabbed his coffee pot and poured water into it, setting a pot of the strongest beans he had to brew while he leaned against the counter. 

He was generally useless till he had some coffee in him. His wrist throbbed once and stopped, making him look down at it nervously. Surely the remedy wasn't wearing off already. He shrugged as it stopped hurting and stared at the coffee pot, as if that would make it brew faster, a rather adorable frown on his handsome features. 

William was done and he walked back out and sighed softly reaching over to place his arms around Ronald when he got to him, obviously tired, still trying to wake up. He reached over and lightly placed a hand over his wrist, tracing his thumb absently over where the spot was, humming softly to him. "Mm...coffee..." he muttered softly, groggily.

Ronald leaned into him, already used to the familiarity that was being displayed, his eyes closing. "not gonna lie, Will, i took you for a tea kinda guy." he mumbled, his voice probably only half-coherent. He closed his eyes, breathing in the smell mixed of coffee and William. 

"hmm... what are the chances i can wake up to you every morning?" he added, meaning William as the coffee pot dinged and he looked to the cabinet; absently reaching for two mugs. "sugar and milk or do you take it black?" he asked as he poured the black bitter concoction into the mugs. 

"I'm tea in the afternoon." he muttered softly, closing his eyes for a moment to nuzzle his neck before the coffee pot went off. "Black." he spoke pulling away. "You?" his voice was still slightly groggy as he looked at the mug. 

He inhaled the intoxicating scent and let out a soft sigh. It smelled good and he couldn't wait to drink it in order to wake up. "I think I slept better recently...and I'm not sure of the chances yet, but we'll see..." he rubbed an eye slightly with the heel of his hand.

Managing a soft chuckle he handed William the mug. "I like a bit of sweetness to offset the bitter taste, i usually add a bit of sugar." he said, reaching into another cabinet and dumping two small lumps of sugar to his cup and stirred it, letting it sit for around thirty seconds before blowing on the liquid and taking a sip. 

"fair enough." he said amiably, the coffee reviving him a bit already. He set it on the counter to cool a bit further as he wandered into his room and pulled on some clean clothes. He pulled on his reaper clothes and walked from his room, grabbing the cup off the counter and downed it, now fully awake and dressed. He rolled his shoulders and leaned on the counter, holding the mug, watching William. 

"You always struck me as someone with a sweet like..." he muttered before he took a sip of the hot brew, took a breath after swallowing and leaned back against his chair with a sigh. "Much better." he sighed, then he reached up and noticed his glasses were still gone, probably still on the night stand. 

He'd get them later. After a few more drinks he finally started to come back to life, more awake and alert. His mug was almost empty by then. "First we're stopping by my complex, then we'll go to the libraries, and then we'll go locate Dorian."

Ronald nodded. "here." he said, holding out Will's glasses with a slight smirk. "Am I allowed inside?" he teased gently. "I suppose i should retrieve my Death Scythe." he muttered to himself. He tapped his glasses twice and the lawnmower appeared near him. 

He stowed it in the closet and glanced to William. "care to eat something or shall we be off?" to be truthful his stomach was in knots. He blinked. "oh. one thing." he went into his room and dug in his dresser. He returned with a small envelope. "Just in case Dorian plays dumb, i have the note he left me." he said, tucking it into his pocket. 

"You can be allowed in. I trust you not to poke around too much." he watched as the lawnmower appeared out of nowhere and it was stowed away. "I have a feeling you're not feeling all too good to even touch anything to eat." he shrugged a little. Then he looked at the envelope and nodded. "Very well, let's get going now, so we can make good time. The sooner we get this done, the sooner we'll hopefully go back to our normal lives."

He blushed. "I am nervous, but i won't begrudge you something to eat." he said quietly, knowing that William had cleaned his entire apartment and knew just about everything about him by this point. He wasn't sure what William meant by that but he shrugged it off and followed him. /Normal... yeah right./ he thought to himself. 

Reaching over he gave him a light pat on the back for a moment. "I can afford to miss a meal." he shrugged slightly before starting to the door. "And by normal, you do realize I meant it with you, right?" he asked him with his deadly calm and slightly serious manner. Once they were out the door, he shut it behind them. No one really stole or broke in, so there was no reason to lock it.

Ronald blushed. "I hoped so." he responded quietly as he followed him down the hall. He flexed his hand. "you have the medicine Alan gave you with right? I dunno when i'll have a flare up." he said as they walked. Then he was silent, just enjoying being at William's side, in a far more intimate way than just his partner at work. 

He nodded a little bit. "I'll slip them into a bag before we take our leave, have them on at all times. Plus the needle." he told him before slowly sliding his hand over to lightly grasp Ronald's squeezing gently, affectionately. He really did love Ron, it was just hard for him to admit verbally, and hoped he would understand that there were times when he wasn't going to be able to respond by voice.

Ronald smiled. He knew William sucked at talking, particularly about his own feelings. He squeezed his hand back gently and let them walk in comfortable silence. He understood William probably better than William understood himself. 

He had to think however, for the moment He realized that William would probably have to either move in with him temporarily or have Ronald stay with him... He had to be monitored. He said nothing. He would wait till William said something about it or it was pointed out by someone else. 

William walked with him to his own apartment area first, it was slightly bigger, perhaps it had to do with what rank he rested at, but once he had opened the door, the inside was large. There was a spacious living room with more than one bookshelf, a sofa and hard wood end table. 

There was a connecting kitchen area, wine and brandy glasses hung upside down on hooks above a small wine and brandy rack, which was stocked with bottles to spare. William did have a posh life even in death.

Ronald glanced around as he stepped inside, his eyes getting wide. "whoa..." he muttered, slipping off his shoes and walking inside a bit further, running his hand on the soft leather of the sofa and perching himself on the edge of it, not wanting to touch anything lest he accidentally do something wrong. 

His heart was pounding. How he'd love to stay in a place like this. His own apartment seemed like the gutter he was used to compared to this. He curled his feet into the carpet under him. He didn't get too comfortable knowing they would only be there for as long as it took William to change and grab a few things. 

William had gone into his room to change out while Ronald got the chance to look around his living area. The carpet was a rather plush one, the fibers could be felt between Ronald's toes. Unfortunately there wasn't much of a choice for William to wear so he got out of his wrinkled up slept in suit so he could change into a new one as he tossed the old one into the laundry basket nearby. 

He paused for a moment when he opened his glove drawer and pulled out a black velvet box, opening it for a moment he eyed the object inside then set it back underneath a small pile of white socks before picking out his pair of gloves and walked out, business style as usual.

He glanced up as William walked out, looking posh as usual and smiled. "I like your place." he said, his tone an undercurrent of thoughts like /when can i move in?/ and /can we do it on your bed next time?/ but he spoke none of it, his eyes lighting up like fireworks as he saw his love in his element once more. He got up and walked over to William, absently straightening his tie just out of a sudden nervous twitch and biting his lip. 

This fabulous and opulent man loved him... It was a bit hard to believe when he was standing here now. It was easier when they were in his apartment... but he supposed he could get used to it. "...ready?" he asked, wondering about the medicine. 

"Thank you." then he looked down at Ronald when he started to adjust his tie to get it nice and straight. He wondered what was on his mind. Reaching over he stroked his cheek lightly for a moment, tracing slowly but then he looked at the grandfather clock that was ticking slowly. 

Reaching over he picked up a bag. "We'll put your medicine in this." he spoke as he pulled out the three white vials he had gotten from Alan and placed in his coat pocket along with a syringe. He placed them in the front pocket, nodding at Ronald. "Everything will be fine..."


	17. Flytrap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> meeting Dorian at last. Will he help?

He shifted and kissed him. "I know." he said simply. "we should be going. We can discuss anything you want later." he said, glancing to that bag. His hand twitched a bit as if the cursed sickness knew what it contained.

Upon reaching the Libraries Alan glanced over. Grell was nowhere to be seen; not that that was entirely unusual. "good morning Sir, Ronald." Alan greeted as he shifted to get up from his desk. "I wasn't expecting to see you so I did the morning work already. Sent Grell on his way, he thinks you're already in the field so he didn't ask too many questions." He glanced to Eric. 

Ronald smiled softly at Alan. "yeah... we're just stopping in before going to see Dorian." he said quietly, sticking close to William's side; closer than usual. 

"Morning." William had greeted plainly before glancing at Ronald, he allowed the closeness because it was him and he didn't want Ronald to suddenly feel rejected again, since he learned how fragile the blond's psyche could be somewhat. 

Eric waved at the two, leaning lightly on Alan's desk, perfectly casual. "I see you have things already planned out. I was going to put you in charge of the libraries until we're back." Will told Alan seriously. "I can trust you with that, right?"

Alan nodded. "yeah, i think i can handle it. Take as much time as you need, Eric can take Grell if he gets out of hand, I'll handle the filing and such. Between the three of us we should be able to cover your lists for at least a few days." he said calmly, shifting to look at his desk. 

"You guys go on, we'll be fine here." Ronald felt a wave of gratitude towards Alan and his good hand drifted to gently grasp his other wrist, feeling it pulse. He could feel movement... he doubted it'd be long till he had an attack. He bit his lip. 

"Thank you." William offered a polite bow before he looked at Ronald. "Is it hurting?" he asked softly to him, reaching over to lightly pull Ronald away, it was a distance away where he could have a moment of privacy with him. He reached into his bag and held out his other hand. "Ronald, give me your wrist."

He sighed and pulled his glove off, shifting the shirt to show William the growing dot. "not hurting exactly..." he said honestly. "but it's definetly getting there." He glanced behind William to where the other two were conversing quietly with each other, consulting the lists. 

"might as well do it now before i start screaming." he added, watching the writhing dot start to get bigger and branch out, sending mild waves of pain through his arm as they touched various nerves. He winced. "....hurry." it was as if the curse knew what was happening. They needed to get to Dorian quickly. 

William sighed and filled the syringe to the level he had seen when Alan first introduced it. He may not have been taught but he did watch, he knew where to place it. He went over and placed the needle where it needed to go along his wrist and pushed in the liquid injection, hoping it would make it go away, for now. They needed time, which was precious and felt very minimal.

Ronald turned his head away as the piercing needle sent fire through his arm, but the Thorns retreated quickly and he leaned against a wall, panting as the pain shot through him and then vanished. "son of a bitch." he muttered, flexing his hand a bit and putting his glove back on. Alan glanced over. "oi, you're still here? You should get going." he called lightly as he stood up, summoning his Death Scythe and glancing to Eric. 

He gave him a pat on the shoulder and looked over towards Alan's voice. "Yes, we're going now." he called and looked at Ronald before taking his hand lightly. "C'mon. We'll take a portal to where the location may be closest, we'll have to go on foot from there." 

Eric glanced at the two, leaning on his own death scythe before moving over to press a kiss to the top of the brown head. "Alan and I are heading out too."

Ronald nodded and followed, his heart leaping into his throat and his stomach knotting up. He knew that they'd be seeing Undertaker as well... He hoped they wouldn't interrupt anything too intimate. 

Alan smiled at them. "don't worry. I'm sure everything will work out." he called as he and Eric left the Libraries for their own work day. 

William looked to Ronald one more time before he adjusted his glasses, the lenses glared in the light before in his outstretched hand he had his death scythe and was ready to head out. He and Ronald took a portal that would get them close to their destination, there were never exact coordinates, something about the chase was supposed to be fun. 

It wouldn't take long to reach the London mortuary, coffin house, place of creepiness. William placed his gloved hand on the knob and twisted it before opening it up. The bell above their heads chimed, and they were met with the dank, dark interior, filled with coffins and probably corpses, but no sign of the Silver Haired ex Shinigami.

Ronald kept close to William's side, his hands shoved into his pockets, eyes on the floor. He barely glanced around as they entered the place. Something in him told him Dorian was here. He wasn't sure what it was, but he was certain. 

Towards the back, in the living quarters of the mortuary he was sitting on the couch. The former Shinigami, Dorian Gray. He tapped his extraordinarily long pinky nail on the glass of the cup he was holding. His hair was rather short, blonde and wavy on one side, with a streak of black towards the tips on his left side. His bangs sideswepped to show off his bright green right eye, covering his left. 

His thumbnails and pinky nails were extraordinarily long, and each was coated with something, no one ever knew exactly what. He glanced over to the silverette sitting next to him. "we seem to have guests." he said calmly, getting to his feet. He wore a black silk shirt and a reddish vest, black dress pants and knee-high black leather boots. 

"My my, how long are you planning on torturing the young boy?" Undertaker asked, a chuckle rising from his throat. His black fingernails were slowly raking through what had obviously been a fresh corpse, which he would soon put back where it belonged. Ah, but it was such a pretty death, the young lady's corpse in question was perfectly preserved, wearing a long white gown. 

Poisoned during her wedding night, not his real beaker of tea, but it was a pretty corpse. But now it was time to play with the guests. William was about ready to call out to the Undertaker, but then he nearly lost his sense of cool when a high pitched feminine voice came from the door to the back. "Welcome~." he grimaced, looking unamused by the sudden antics.

Dorian approached, brushing past the lunatic that was his friend and sweeping into the room. "I greet thee, Raphael." he said, bowing to Ronald. It wasn't mocking, it was genuine. 

Ronald stared at him in shock. 

"to what do we owe this pleasure?" Dorian asked. 

Ronald blinked, a bit confused at being referred to as 'Raphael' and stared at him blankly for a moment. 

Dorian blinked and put a hand to his mouth. "oops... I meant Ronald, of course." he purred. 

Ronald's eyes narrowed. "... Dorian Gray." he said, drawing himself up with a strength he didn't know he had. "I am here to call in the favor you owe me." 

In the background Undertaker was chuckling to himself and letting off an old hum, a song without a real set of lyrics or even a tune. He had placed the corpse back into its coffin and had moved over to look William over. 

The senior was trying to be respectful, but for the love of God the way the man snapped and went loony was more or less awkward for him to be around. "Hm...you'd make a handsome corpse Spears, but...not as pretty as Earl Phantomhive~ He,hehe..." he chuckled as William's eyebrow gave a twitch, he tried to keep his attention on Dorian.

Dorian raised a hand. "Oi, Old Friend..." he murmured softly. "would you mind waiting in the living area? I have some ... business... to attend to here, it would seem." his voice smooth as silk, not taking his eyes off Ronald. 

To his credit, the blonde Shinigami stood his ground. "So you recall then." he said, his voice a lot steadier than he felt, his insides quaking. 

Dorian eyed him with his good eye. "Of course i do." he said. "The Thorns, is it?" he said without even having to ask. "You want the antidote." He glanced to William. "I remember you." he commented, seeming to float rather than walk over to the elder reaper. "you had just joined the Libraries a few weeks before i defected, right? William T. Spears... If i'm not mistaken. You come with Ronald as his lover and bodyguard... how sweet." 

"Hm~...alright...play nice Dorian, dear~." Undertaker grinned and walked his way back to the living area in the back, he had some papers he could fill out while waiting on Dorian to be finished with the two in the room. 

William watched before sighing and adjusting his glasses for a moment. "That's right." he muttered in a slight response to Dorian's statement.

Dorian continued to hover around William for a few moments. "You're here to make sure i don't torture the lad. How cute." he chuckled, it was not a nice sound. "William, you lead the Libraries now, correct? Yo-" 

"we're here to discuss me, Dorian." came Ronalds voice, tearing Dorian's gaze from William back to him. 

"hm... he has spunk. I suppose one would have to, carrying what he has and enduring the pain he's in without flinching." 

Ronald glared at him. Yes he was in pain at that moment, but like hell did he want William to know. 

Dorian glanced into Ronald's eyes. "that brat Humphries found my partial antidote... that's the only reason you're standing on your feet, isn't it." he said. Ronald didn't answer. "tch... fine then. I will help you. But only because i owe it to /him/." he said. "come with me, Ronald." his gaze shifted back to William. "Bring him with if you must." he turned and went to a door near the back of the room. "my backup lab is down here. I should have everything i need." 

William was rather proud of Ronald and his confidence, but he wasn't going to let Dorian try and torture him for fun. He scowled as they walked, following behind Dorian, but also, keeping close to Ronald. His fingers lightly tugged at the hem of the blonde's jacket, just a little. He didn't say a word yet, he just kept it in gestures for now.


	18. The Ordeal Of The Cure Begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dorian leads Ronald and William down to his makeshift lab and begins to explain to Ronald how the cure works.

Dorian let the way down a set of stairs to a proper lab, modern for the time. He flicked on the lamps and turned to them. "Spears, if you insist upon being here, you must sit there." he said, pointing to a chair. He walked over to a drawer. He pulled a basic hospital gown from it and tossed it to Ronald. "get changed, there's a room through there, go get changed and sit on the bed. I would have words with William." 

Ronald glanced to Will, snagging his hand and squeezing it lightly before going into the makeshift hospital room. 

Once the door was shut Dorian turned to William. "Before you speak, I am going to be honest with you. The antidote for the Thorns is not pleasant. It is quite painful and it will take a few days to actually work. I would fear for my own life if i were to make young Knox part of my experiments." he sighed. 

"I swear to you that i am telling the truth. On my own life. Not a promise i tend to take lightly. The road will be hard and long, and Ronald will be in a lot of pain, and occasionally may not make sense or accuse you of things... but I will not prolong his pain for my own gain. If i were to do so, his other side would kill me. I think you know what I'm talking about, but have yet to actually start believing." 

William had sat down in a chair, keeping his weapon close by and resting one leg over the other, watching Dorian with a monotone like gaze that would always match his voice. "Hm...I also have a question for you." he started before he thought about those angel wings, that hovering, the younger one's innocent. "...What happened that night you met Ronald? His memory becomes a bit of a blank until he wakes up except for noises. Unless you too were completely intoxicated, I'm sure you can fill in the blanks." he adjusted his glasses lightly with a soft click.

He paused. "unfortunately the only two who know what happened that night are Thoride and Rapahel." he answered honestly. "I was told if Knox ever came to me claiming a favor to honor it fully, but that's it. I don't remember much either. And it wasn't due to the drink." he shook his head. 

"The cinematic record i think, would tell you." He shrugged. "I remember about as much as Ronald does, most like." He got up and went to a small icebox on a shelf. He removed a bottle and grabbed a clean syringe. "So you've nothing to say about Ronald, or to him, before we begin?" he asked as he pulled a fair amount of a silver liquid into the syringe and then set the bottle back in the ice box. He flicked the syringe and pressed the plunger once, to make sure the air was gone. "because everyone reacts differently to this... for all i know... this could kill him." 

Usually calm and collected he finally swallowed hard, his thoughts already going into overdrive. This was the best thing to do, but...what if Ronald did actually die? It was possible that a Shinigami could die, by way such as the thorns or other weapons. Mortal weaponry was usually harmless, but considering Dorian was an ex Shinigami he knew how to work it. With a sigh he looked up from his calculation. "I'd like to speak to Ronald..."

Dorian nodded towards the room, grabbing a few other supplies as he waited. 

Ronald was sitting on the bed, wearing his shorts and the gown, fidgeting his hand across his wrist. The bed he was on had clear restraints built into it, strong ones, and the room itself was fairly sparse and the walls padded in case someone were to escape and try to slam into them. He bit his lip as William entered. "Will.." he said softly, his entire body quaking as his fear came to the surface. "I'm so scared..." 

His eyes softened a little as he sat down beside him, placing his hand over Ronald's clenched ones as he fidgeted. Leaning over he placed a kiss on his head gently before sighing. "I know...and I am too..." he muttered to him as he stroked his thumb along Ron's soft skin. "...But..." he swallowed past a lump in his throat. "I know you're a strong man."

He clutched at him, burying his face into his chest. "I will fight till my dying breath, William..." he whispered, the determination in his tone even now. "I love you..." tears streaked down his face as he whispered the words. He closed his eyes and took a shuddering breath, trying to calm down. 

Dorian watched through the window. Pity in his expression. he felt a bitterness fill him. Thoride feared Ronald... so he was forced to watch this scene and not anticipate the screams that would soon follow. 

William closed his eyes then reached around to hug the blond tight, holding him to his body, if only for what would only be for a moment. He murmured those soft three words to him, trying hard himself to be strong. He and Ronald had only just begun a relationship, but why did it feel like that the heart that had healed not too long ago, was suddenly starting to split again. "...Be brave for me..." he muttered softly.

Ronald refused to let himself cry any further tears. He straightened up when the hug was over, wiped his eyes and looked straight out of the room, into Dorian's eyes, both of them. "I will endure." he whispered, his voice far stronger than how he felt. 

Dorian smirked at him and then walked into the room. "well then, shall we begin?" he asked, pushing a small cart with the syringe and a few other items on it. 

Ronald glanced to William. "yes." he said softly. 

Dorian then proceeded to ignore William's presence other than to shoo him into a corner of the room. "Lay back, Ronald." he said. He proceeded to strap Ronald to the bed, his cursed arm facing with the palm to the celing. 

"First dose will halt it. Second dose will chase it. third dose will destroy it." he said calmly as he was doing this. "I will wait till three hours after the first dose before i put you on a nutrient IV drip, if only because i don't need you trying to rip out the shunt. This will not be pleasant for either of you, particularly you. Do you understand? I cannot help you live through this treatment. I can only provide it." 

Ronald gazed up at him and nodded. "Open your mouth." instructed Dorian. He then placed a bracer of sorts on Ronald's tongue. "to prevent you from hurting yourself." he explained. He glanced to William. "are you ready?" he asked. 

William watched as the cart with the syringe and other medical paraphernalia. He settled himself nearby, with Ronald's good hand, his black gloved one clutched around his, squeezing for a moment, to let him know that he was there. He was going to be even if the blond broke his fingers in the process. Sure he'd be out of reaping for a while until they healed, but it was going to be worth it. He stuck with his nonverbal communication for Ronald for now. 

Dorian shrugged and grabbed the syringe. "it'll probably start about thirty seconds after i inject it." he said, tying a rubber piece of tubing around his upper arm. he took a cotton ball with alcohol on it and swabbed the area he was going to hit with the needle. 

Ronald was already making a bit of a fist so he was able to find the vein easily. He slid the needle in with practiced ease and slowly pushed the plunger as Ronald shut his eyes tightly, not wanting to watch. He clung to William's hand with his good one and took a deep shuddering breath as Dorian continued. 

After about five seconds the dose was in and he removed the needle, pressing a piece of cotton to the spot to prevent blood from escaping. He taped it down and stepped away. 

Ronald felt the effects almost immediately. Like fire spreading from the injection point through is entire body and he involuntarily stiffened, a muffled cry of anguish tearing from him through the device in his mouth as he spazmed, a single tear dripping down the side of his head. He refused to open his eyes, his entire body beginning to tremble.


	19. Wings...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> beep

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will now be updated monthly

William could only watch and work hard to keep his face straight. He had only glanced away when the needle went in, but he could feel Ronald's body stiffen. And only his ears could catch the muffled crying. He tried to take a calm breath and gave his good hand a tighter squeeze, trying to reassure him through what was probably mind boggling pain.

A roaring in his ears as his entire body seemed to be on fire, his own mind filled with blinding white flame. it came and went in waves, he managed to catch his breath after the first one and Dorian, who'd been watching him closely, apparently decided Ronald wasn't going to be a danger to himself, at least not at the moment, and unstrapped the contraption in his mouth. Ronald took a breath and swore loudly, his vision blurred as he tried to look at William. The next wave hit and after his initial spasm and shriek, he went dead silent, his body still twitching but he had passed clear out from the pain. His body temperature was getting hot and Dorian started attaching a machine to him to monitor his temperature and heart rate. "He's doing better than i thought he would." said Dorian as he stepped away. 

William blinked a little and looked at Dorian. "He's a strong kid for being so young. He's not as young as Alan, but he can do a lot..." he sighed and leaned back for a moment. Ronald was completely passed out and at the moment no way to force him to come out of it. Reaching over for a moment he glanced at the ex shinigami again. "His body temperature is really high."

Dorian nodded. "high fever is one of the risks... the idea is to burn the Thorns. It's like an infectious root or weed." he explained. "it's actually organic in it's origins. It's a parasite that feeds on pity and sympathy. So naturally the remedy has to utilize fire in some sense to knock it back and away." He watched Ronald, who's skin was turning pink. "A few of the other risks include an anyerism and a heart attack or stroke... or just all out organ failure." 

With a sigh he let his gloved hand stroke against Ron's pink flesh, absently he chewed on the corner of his lip. He was worried, he didn't want to lose such a good person. "I'd get up and pace about, but I'm going to stay here..." he muttered. He didn't plan on moving away no matter what was going to happen, he was going to stay with Ronald, even if there was a freak chance of Ronald no longer being able to be with him. 

Gazing at him with some form of respect, Dorian left him there. A few hours passed and Ronald began to stir, moaning as the fire continued to course through him, but he seemed to be cooling down a bit. "mnh... Will?" he managed, trying to look but his vision was too blurred for him to see anything. 

Wiliam looked relieved as he stroked his hand lightly. "Right here." he told him softly leaning back in his chair, his tone of voice usually monotone sounded completely relieved, and at ease. He had been afraid plain and simple.

Ronald lay his head back, a sigh of relief coming from him as well despite the throbbing burning coursing through his entire body. ".. you stayed..." he managed softly, his entire body shuddering as another throb pulsed through him. "I must look a mess..." 

"Of course I would." he murmured to him. "I told you I wouldn't leave, I promised...right?" he asked him softly and then looked him over. "You don't look that bad honestly Ronald. Just a bit tired, nothing more." he worked to make the younger one feel better.

He managed a small smile and sighed. "i feel like my soul is on fire." he said quietly. "I mean, it's not unbearable at the moment, but... i assume the dosage escalates with each injection." he looked to William. "you'd lie to me and say i looked good even if i looked like shit." he said with dry humor.

"I wouldn't lie about remaining by you." he spoke truthfully leaning over to press his lips lightly to the man's forehead gently. "Mm..." he hummed softly in his throat. "I would probably lie that you look like shit though." he smirked a little.

\------------

Dorian had moved upstairs and was on the couch. "Undertaker..." he said slowly to his friend, watching the silverette sip some form of tea that undoubtably had something nasty in it. "... Thoride is afraid of that two-toned reaper... I can't quite grasp why... any ideas?" 

Undertaker looked up from the tea and munched on what looked like a dog treat and heaven forbid knew what was in it. "This Thoride...is he perchance a human or an angel. Don't forget angels and shinigami are more enemies than demons." he took another bite from his biscuit, chuckling behind the mouthful.

"Thoride is the demon who curses Shinigami... you do recall I'm a Hybrid and that's why i have this eye. Honestly, old friend, have the chemicals atrophied your brain that much?... I'm wondering.. I called young Knox by another name when i saw him, didn't i... do you recall what it was?" He knew he had to get back down there soon and start up the IV drip or poor Ronald would get dehydrated, but he needed to know. 

"Ah, Raphael, right?" he asked raising an eyebrow. "I thought it was a mere mistake considering your own brain is also an addled one too darling Dorian." he hummed and swirled his tea. "But...Thoride...perhaps he fears two-tone...for a very special reason, wouldn't you think?"

Dorian pondered this for a moment. "Raphael... i said that... could that possibly mean... that Knox harbors one of the Archangels?" it would certainly explain why he wasn't allowed to fuck around and also why he couldn't remember anything about the former supposed encounter with Ronald. 

"Could be~." Undertaker lightly tilted the dog biscuit between his fingers, his usually happy grin had turned downward into a frown. "Archangels...ah...they are more of a demon's enemy than a normal shinigami, right? They have a bit more authority over the lessers."

Dorian gazed at him. "more so... they are the only enemy of ones such as me... the Hybrids. If one of Them has appeared... and spared my life... god only knows what's coming next... will be ten times worse than my own failed transgression." he said quietly as he stood. "i need to go put an IV on him... I can't have him die on me." he turned and went back downstairs.


	20. Reprieve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A moment to relax.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so you all will notice this is not a new chapter. I went back and discovered i had submitted the wrong chapter for chapter 19 so if you're following this closely you should go back and read that. I will be posting 21 in a few moments. Gomen.

Ronald managed a soft chuckle. "that's what i meant... i know you won't leave me." he said, his eyes falling closed again, his body trembling. "So tired..." he slowly drifted back into unconsciousness.

Dorian entered the room and saw that Ronald was out. He glanced to William. "has he woken?" he asked as he started setting up the stand for the IV drip. 

"Looks like he fell back asleep again." He told Dorian as he settled back in his chair. He looked at the IV for a moment and sighed. "I have to ask, where do you commandeer your medical supplies Dorian? Some of your stuff looks like something no current doctor can work with." he quirked an eyebrow at the man in front of him. "I hope you pay for them properly."

Dorian glanced at him mysteriously. "of course. I cannot function properly without proper cutting edge equipment. My experiments ... and my patients... would suffer more and have even less of a survival rate." he said calmly as he grabbed a bag of fluids and retied the rubber tube around Ronald's arm. He re wiped the area after removing the old bandage and grabbed the shunt. 

He held it up for William to gaze at it. "this for instance, i have to import them. It's new. It will allow me to keep open a small access area in the vein so i don't have to continuously poke young Knox." he said calmly. "It's not much bigger than a needle so it is also less pain for him." he located the vein and pretty much set up the shunt like he had the needle injection, only he taped the thing down and left it in his arm, twisting a piece of it to close it off before removing the needle. "and i can attach an IV far easier this way." he added as he did just that. "this should prevent him from getting dehydrated. I doubt he'll be able to keep food down during these hellish few days." 

With a sigh he rubbed the back of his neck a little bit, looking a bit embarrassed. Sure Ronald had eaten last night, but..."The issue is, he didn't eat for over a week..." he admitted looking a little bit frustrated. He was glad and all about the tools he used were more cutting edge than the other doctors in London. Some were still Quacks or black market dealers. But he couldn't help but admit what had happened with Ronald, over his dumb mistake.

Dorian looked at him after finishing fiddling with the bag of fluids. "and why is that, William?" he asked, having a feeling that the elder of the two wanted to talk to him a bit, despite having an idea of what had happened. He leaned against the wall and watched William. Ronald moaned softly in his sleep, his body tensing a bit as he rode through yet another wave of fiery pain. 

With a sigh he used his other hand to remove his glasses for a moment then looked at Dorian. "I screwed up, plain and simple. I was too jaded to return Ronald's feelings...at least that's how he worded it in the letter." he muttered reaching into his inner suit pocket to unfold and look at it. "...I still, honestly, feel like the worst person, and I sometimes wish he would've found someone else..."

 

Dorian looked at him approvingly. "no you don't... not really." he said quietly. "what you truly think is that you don't deserve his attentions. Regardless, he has given them to you. The fact that you have such regrets means you care just as deeply for him as he does for you." He glanced to Ronald lying prone on the bed. "His trust and love is absolute... It's what will keep him alive and pull him through this. Remember that, William, if nothing else." He glanced at his watch. "i'll go make you a sandwich, and no, i won't let Undertaker near it." he said with a dry laugh as he left the room. 

He smirked just a little, but his thoughts decided to swirl around what Dorian had spoken about. About why he really cared and why he would always worry about Ronald. He brought the prone shinigami's hand up to his level and lightly kissed his knuckles. "You can get through this Ronald..." he muttered to him. "...I know you can."

A few hours passed, with Dorian returning with the promised sandwich and something for William to drink, not much happened aside from Ronald moaning and twitching in his sleep. Before anyone really was aware of the clock's chimes, it was chiming for the morning. Dorian stirred from his place in his lab, having left William to sit with Ronald in the inner room. He yawned and stretched from his place on a rather uncomfortable chair, and peered into the room. 

Ronald woke up slowly, the pain having vanished from his body. 

Dorian unbuckled him and helped him sit up, trying not to disturb William; the man deserved a little rest at least. He started checking Ronald's vital signs; Clear eyes, normal pulse and temperature, proper breathing, correct reflexes. "I'll let you loosen up a bit and then check back in an hour with the second dose." Dorian told him. "do try to not play with the thing on your arm." he said. "k." Ronald said, his eyes on the sleeping William. 

William didn't know when he had fallen asleep, other than he was resting in the chair after eating and having the drink, glad the Undertaker hadn't taken advantage of cooking for his guest. He supposed he could've fallen asleep due to the lack of he may have gotten? He wasn't sure. His eyelids had given a small twitch, glasses dangling in his unoccupied hand, back leaned. Perhaps he was dreaming.

Ronald stood up and, taking hold of the rolling stand the IV was attached to, moved over to gently kiss Will's lips, taking his glasses from his hand and setting them on a table near the bed, then proceeded to use the time he had active to his advantage, pacing about a bit and stretching as much as the tube in his arm would allow him to. 

Ronald wanted badly to talk to William, but he knew the other had probably been up all night caring for him and didn't dare... though he was hungry. He glanced around the room and noticed a small plate that had an orange on it and some juice sitting next to it. He figured having that in his stomach would be fine, but he doubted he should eat anything that wouldn't melt into liquids. He perched on a chair and started to peel the orange. 

William would give a bit of a twitch in his sleep, he had been out pretty peacefully, just a little. Soon enough he started stirring a little and then his eyes opened a little. Yawning behind his hand he reached up for a moment to rub his eyes, and blinked his glasses were gone. He reached to find them to find them missing, but he did see the little blob that was Ronald sitting up, at least so he thought. "...Ronald...?" he muttered.

Ronald smiled and chuckled. "your glasses are on the table beside my bed." he said softly, he sounded tired and his throat was a bit scratchy but he still, for the moment at least, had his good humor. "I'm up, for the moment. I'm getting a bit of a break i guess before the next treatment." 

He reached over with his hand and picked up his glasses, placing them over his eyes and pushed them up the bridge of his nose. He sighed as he moved over and gave him a gentle kiss on the top of his head. "Mm...you feeling a little better for now?" he asked his tone still groggy. 

He smiled "I'm sore all over and tired, and starving but i know eating a lot wouldn't be a good idea at the moment." he admitted. "i just want to live through this and go home." he reached up with his good hand and pulled William in to hug him.

\----------

Dorian flopped on the couch upstairs and sighed. "phase one seems to have worked." he muttered to himself, unsure if Undertaker was even awake yet. 

"Hehehe...you act as if you care for the two toned reaper." Undertaker chimed as he slowly pulled back the lid of a coffin he had been napping in and joined his own hands under his long sleeves looking at him. "Honestly, it isn't like you dear Dorian, after all you are as much as a defector as I." he chuckled softly, but he seemed to sober up relatively quickly.

Dorian glanced at him. "Ah but we defected because we saw this coming." he said quietly. "We defected because we saw the apocolypse on the horizon of the Red Reaper... and no one believed us... that and we were just a little too violent for the Order to handle." He sighed. "If anyone of those people should be cared about, it is Ronald Knox. He's the only one who can save us from what is coming." 

A frown came to the other man's lips and he tilted his head slightly. "The Red Reaper, surely you do not mean the rather flamboyant one...Grell Sutcliffe." that was the only reaper he knew was brightly red, but he knew the subject matter was more dark. "You are placing a lot of trust on Mr. Knox, he is just a boy."

Dorian blinked. "Have you so jaded yourself that you forgot what we found?" he said, getting up and wandering over to Undertaker to lean on the coffin his friend was sitting in. "Grell is the Red Dawn... His obsession with that damned demon that is currently calling itself Sebastian will be the downfall of all of us... Ronald is the only one on this earth currently that has the power to kill him... even though he doesnt' know it. if Grell falls, and Ronald isn't around, the entire world will be destroyed." he tapped his left eye. "Thoride lets me see the future... that is one vision he takes pleasure in subjecting me to. Ronald may be a lad, but we have no choice in the matter. he was Chosen." 

It was as if some portion of the Undertaker seemed to change. With a sigh he brushed back his bangs, his eyes were green and vibrant. "Sebastian is not what he calls himself. That's what the little earl claimed him as. Far as my knowledge goes. But if your little champion is the one to decide the fate, and being chosen, I'm assuming William Spears doesn't have a role?"

"i know that." he said drily but shrugged. "and no, William... he has a part to play in all of this... for Ronald to awaken... he needs someone to ... for lack of a better phrase... give him wings. As cliche as it is, without anyone believing in him, particularly loving him... his other self has no way of existing. William told me he rebuked Ronald a few weeks ago, and found him two days ago barely existing. I have a feeling that's connected."


	21. Chase It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One to suppress  
> Two to chase it.
> 
> The screams echoing will never be forgotten.

He blinked and blushed slightly and allowed the hug. He placed an arm around his waist gently pulling him as close as comfortably possible without pulling him away from the IV. His ungloved fingers reached up and started to run through the two toned hair slowly. 

Ronald sighed and closed his eyes. He was tired but not sleep-tired. just emotionally exhausted. "William... You don't have to stay... I know i'm causing you pain to see me like this... maybe it's better if you leave and go bury yourself in your work." an unconscious test. If William stayed... he'd pass. if he left... Ronald would most likely die. 

"I promised I'd stay Ronald." he stated tone firm in the way as he was being his superior, but behind it was the affection the younger reaper craved. But deep down what he wanted too. "I mean it hurts that you are in pain, but at the same time if it makes you better...I'll stay."

me Ronald smiled and nodded, gazing up at him. "You give me strength." he said softly. "In my darkest hours, you won't forsake me... my William." He shifted to stand, grabbing the IV stand. "Dorian should be back shortly. I'm told this next bout will leave me screaming for hours... It won't let me fall into merciful unconsciousness... What was that Dorian said? First to freeze it, second to chase it, third to destroy it?" he muttered. 

"That should be what he said in the long in short of it..." he sighed then placed a kiss on the top of his head again. "Perhaps I should find a book while I wait it out?" he was teasing him a little, but maybe he was half serious considering it was probably going to be hours and he was going to end up losing sleep himself. 

\------

"My my...a tragedy that our beloved William Shakespeare is missing." he chuckled almost darkly letting the hair fall back into his eyes. "To be honest I'm rather looking forward to how this love story is going to unfold. Particularly if our dear Grell actually gets the demon Sebastian to fall in love with him...or is it her..."

Dorian looked at him. "it's not that Grell has to get Sebastian to fall in love with him.... it's that he has to contract him.... and become a hybrid." he shook his head. "The contract Grell would likely form.... would be to forcibly take Sebastian's affections and power, in return he would give Sebastian his soul... and barring that, be his slave during the upcoming apocalypse that Grell would undoubtedly unleash. Sebastian is so powerful that should he control a Hybrid, that Hybrid would be able to level an area like London with barely a wave of his hand and a thought."

"Ah, but do you think Grell could even do that? After all Sebastian tends to kick the red head away no matter what. Perhaps it may take longer for this to happen, but then again there is nothing like an eternity while we still live our daily lives."

Dorian tapped the side of the coffin. "Old friend, Grell is more devious than we realize. If he truly wanted to do it, he could. When it is time, when it is meant to happen... believe me... it will. the temptation to a demon to hold the soul of a reaper in his clutches is far too tempting for them to ignore... Grell just hasn't uttered the right sentence yet. the moment the word Contract drips from those crimson lips.... Sebastian will not refuse him." He shifted. "in any case, it is time for Ronald's next dosage. I'll be back." He turned and made his way to the door that led down to his basement lab. 

Undertaker clicked his tongue slightly. Wondering just how long it would be until Grell would slip up and say the right thing.

\---

He blushed a bit and settled onto the table just as Dorian walked in. his thoughts echoing that of Undertaker. "are you ready?" he asked of Ronald. The blonde nodded, biting his lip. "As long as William is here, i'll be fine." He said softly. _you have no idea how right you are, boy_ thought Dorian as he went to fetch the serum. Ronald glanced to William. No words could express his feelings, he was trembling with fear but said nothing, willing himself to be strong. 

William looked up when Dorian came back into the room and sighed, nodding a bit. He reached down and gave Ronald's hand a squeeze before he moved over to settle down in the chair for a little while. This was going to be a long night, maybe even days. He wished he did have something to keep him occupied though that didn't have to do with work...knowing full well Ronald would be heartbroken if he disappeared.

Dorian glanced to William. "Will... I brought you something." he said, gesturing over to the bag that he'd brought in with him; it'd been hidden under his jacket. "I don't mean to sound callous to either of you, but i brought you a bit of reading material Undertaker thought would suit your taste, and a few puzzles as well." Ronald watched him as he shifted about. "alright. This dose consists of the same serum i injected you with last time... and a second injection of another sort, to help send the Thorns back to their origin point. your wrist." he said. 

He held up two syringes, one silver, one a quarter full of something blackish green and viscous. Ronald took a breath and nodded, trying to keep his gaze steady. "same as before." Dorian said as he placed the syringes on a tray near Ronald. "lay back and i'll strap you in. I won't gag you this time, i don't want to risk your suffocation... I'll be hanging around for the majority of this treatment to make sure you remain conscious, I'm sorry about that, and make sure you don't choke on your tongue." all this was said so casually as he had begun strapping Ronald to the chair again. "i don't envy either of you." he said, his voice almost sounding sad. 

William looked a little bit confused for a moment as he had been too distracted for a moment when he saw the black viscous goo inside the second syringe. Then he looked at Ronald, then back to Dorian. "Don't envy? What do you mean? You live a pretty free life..." he muttered softly to him.

Dorian glanced at him. "what he is about to endure, you will also, in a different way. There's no way to shut out the screams, William. the thrashing, the begging and pleading, the crying. It will destroy something in you... as it is destroying something in young Ronald here." He shook his head. "this entire ordeal will either break you both... or make you stronger. there is no in between. This is as much your struggle, William, as it is Ronald's'." He picked up the silver Syringe. "are you both ready?" 

William looked at Ronald again for a moment, part of him already fearing the screaming, pleading, crying, even the possible pleas of death because the pain was too unbearable. He was silent for a long while his eyes traveled back to the syringe, then slowly, he nodded. "Yes..."

Dorian glanced to Ronald. "yes." was the soft answer, having waited till William spoke before answering. "then into the twilight we go." he whispered softly, injecting the contents of the silver needle into Ronald's arm. a moments' pause and he added, almost agonizingly slowly, the blackish-green contents into it as well. 

Ronald's body arched and stiffened as much as he could almost instantly against his restraints, mouth open in a silent scream, tears almost immediately springing to his eyes. 

Dorian turned to William. "this part will take the longest... the serum will find and draw every single tiny molecule of the Thorns back to it's original point. the pinprick origin on his wrist. I have no idea how far the Thorns have progressed, so therefore i don't know how long this will actually take." he seemed to have no problem ignoring Ronald's screams for the moment, speaking casually to be heard under them. 

The superior would give a bit of a twitch to the screams. The screams of the dying or of the ones that wanted and begged for their lives, to continue living before he did his job to collect the cinematic record. There was something about Ronald's screams part of his body couldn't ignore at all...and it tugged a little at his heartstrings felt tugged for a moment. Then he sighed. "I'm prepared for a few days with little to no sleep..."

Dorian nodded. "i'd advise you to go to him before the madness comes to him." he whispered, his voice actually showing emotion. "after a while he'll lose his mind and say all sorts of strange things... for the moment... he needs you... he needs your touch. It may keep his sanity a bit longer, it may comfort him slightly, If nothing else, you can... you should... do at least that." he whispered. 

"it's not fun feeling helpless when you actually give a damn about the person who's suffering. I'll be back in twenty minutes." he said. "i must go freshen up a bit." he left them, Ronald's screams had abated for a moment, allowing him to pant. 

"W-william" he whispered in a tortured tone as Dorian ascended the stairs to Undertakers' home. He went into the bathroom and splashed his face with water, trying to get himself under control. This was affecting him more than he'd anticipated.


End file.
